


beneath your wings, it feels like home

by itsclowreedsfault



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Akayona Big Bang, Alternate Universe, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-31 00:31:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8555638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsclowreedsfault/pseuds/itsclowreedsfault
Summary: For hundreds of years, Earth has been the battleground for a secret war between fallen angels and demons. Both races are constantly engaged in a vicious chasing game - one that Jae-ha tries his best to stay away from. But things change when he crosses paths with Kija, a demon whose hatred for angels is deeply rooted in his past. As an unlikely relationship forms between them, a series of attacks bring Kija and Jae-ha face to face with an enemy that will make Kija deal with the truth of what really happened in his past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the AkaYona Big Bang Event on Tumblr. I don't think I've ever had this much fun writing something! I hope you guys enjoy reading it just as much.
> 
> A huge thanks to my wonderful beta [@falling-off-midgard](http://falling-off-midgard.tumblr.com/) (who had to deal with me sending in chapters at the last minute) and to my artist [@qierxi](http://qierxi.tumblr.com/) (who created the most amazing art for my fic)!

When the world was still young, there were three realms that coexisted in peace.

Two of them were polar opposites, their rules black and white. Heaven, home of angels, of the just and unblemished who held no emotions in their hearts. Hell, home of demons, of the wicked and chaotic who were slaves to their dark desires. Brought together, these realms would collapse, but despite their knowledge of the other's existence, their occupants never met and kept their distance at all times.

The reason for that was Earth. The last realm was the middle ground, full of people who were oblivious of the existence of any reality other than their own. It stood as the point of balance, where there was no such thing as purely good or evil, creating a neutral ground that prevented a confrontation between the other two.

While the realms were kept apart, this balance persisted. As it happens, however, black and white can't keep their pure state for too long, and both Heaven and Hell felt their peace disturbed by those who didn't quite fit within their strict molds. There were rumors of angels who felt too much and rebelled against the rules, of demons who complained at the _lack_ of them and had control over their emotions. 

Regardless of the consequences, these misfits were kicked out of their respective realms and thrown into the only place left: Earth.

And so the everlasting war between fallen angels and demons began.

* * *

Jae-ha had a very important principle in his life, apart from appreciating all things of beauty: to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Of course it was a bit hard to follow through with that, what with having lived for hundreds of years in what was essentially a battlefield. He'd lost count of how many times he'd gotten involved in fights against demons, but unlike most fallen angels, he didn't hunt down the cast-offs from Hell, nor did he look for this kind of confrontations. That didn't stop demons from coming after him though, so Jae-ha was well-versed on how to defeat his attackers and protect himself, even if he didn't make use of that knowledge often.

As it were, even if he enjoyed moving around from place to place, Jae-ha tried to search for options that were known territory of fallen angels, where he was less likely to encounter demons lurking around. That night, he was headed towards the _Broken Wings_ , one of his favorite nightclubs. He could feel the vibrations of music reverberating through the ground as he walked the familiar streets, adjusting his scarf against the biting cold. Soon the entrance of the club came into view, its glowing sign a stark contrast against the darkness of the surrounding buildings, a small line of people waiting to be let inside already formed.

Jae-ha ignored the awaiting humans and stopped in front of the bouncer, his eyes flashing gold for the briefest of moments. The man nodded and lifted the rope barrier, letting Jae-ha into the welcoming chaos of the _Broken Wings_ ' first floor.

His eyes got used quickly to the pulsing lights that were barely enough to illuminate the room. The music was loud in his ears, drowning out all other sounds as Jae-ha pushed through the mass of bodies that crowded the dance floor, going straight to the bar at the back. There, he was greeted by a red-headed bartender, who stopped mid-way through preparing a drink when she saw Jae-ha leaning against the counter.

"Jae-ha!"

"Missed me, Yona?" he asked, opening his best smile.

Yona laughed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before getting back to the drinks.

"You shouldn't disappear like this, it's been ages since we've seen you. You can't think just texting every once in a while is enough," she said.

"You have my apologies. But you know me, I like to visit new places."

"Yet you always come back here." After handing a couple of girls their drinks, pointedly ignoring how they kept whispering and staring at Jae-ha, Yona motioned towards the closed door behind the bar, which was being guarded by a guy who looked no older than fifteen. Jae-ha, however, knew that the truth was a lot different than that, and the guy - Tae-Woo, if he remembered correctly - was one of the club's most capable guards. "Go ahead. And try not to tease Hak too much."

"And what would be the fun in that?" Jae-ha said with a wink, pushing himself off the bar and making his way around it. "I'll be back to taste those delicious drinks of yours soon, Yona dear!"

The sound of Yona's laughter was cut off by the door closing behind him. As Jae-ha climbed the narrow stairs, he let his eyes change back to their normal color. Being restricted to the human public, the second floor of the club was, at first sight, not very different from the one below, packed with people dancing, drinking and trying to talk over the music. If you looked closely, however, there was something obviously eerie about the inhumanly beautiful faces, their gold eyes glowing in the dim light.

Jae-ha scanned the room, greeting a few people he recognized from his previous visits before finally locating the man he was searching for. Hak stood in one corner, arms crossed, a glass held loosely in his hand. To anyone else, it would look like he was simply lazing around, but Jae-ha knew Hak well enough to know he was always paying attention to his surroundings, especially in the club that was his and Yona's.

The moment Hak's eyes fell on Jae-ha, his features turned into a scowl, and he scoffed as the other approached him.

"Thought it would be a few more years before I had to see your face again, Droopy Eyes," he said by way of greeting.

"You mean my beautiful face?" Jae-ha answered, not taken aback by Hak's less than friendly words. After years of friendship, he knew better than to think he was being serious.

"It'll be a bleeding face soon if you don't stop clinging to me like this, pervert." Hak's lips were turned up in a smile as he pushed Jae-ha's arm from where he'd put it around his shoulder.

Jae-ha laughed. "So mean, Hak. Yona's welcome was much warmer than this. You should get a few tips from her."

It was with amusement that Jae-ha watched Hak's expression sour once again. Even after being in a relationship for so long, Hak was still overprotective of Yona, and the fact that Jae-ha had openly had a crush on her before they got together probably didn't help. Not that his advances could've ever been successful; those two were so close that Jae-ha had been surprised when, the last time he'd been to the _Broken Wings_ , they'd told him that there was actually a _third_ person who was also part of their relationship.

"Years gone and the first thing you do when you come back is harass my girlfriend."

"Oh, don't get jealous, Hak," Jae-ha teased. "I'm harmless. Besides, you still have your demon boyf-"

There was a hand to his mouth before he could finish, muffling his words. It was gone just as fast, but Hak's eyes were burning with rage as he grabbed Jae-ha by the collar and dragged him towards a door with a sign that read _Do not enter without permission_ . Ignoring Jae-ha's attempts of breaking free, Hak all but threw him inside his office and closed the door behind them, hastily putting the glass he'd still been holding on the first place he could find before turning to stare at Jae-ha. "Have you lost _your damn mind?"_

"Now, now, Hak, if you wanted to get rough you could have just said so."

"This is not a joke, Jae-ha!"

There was a floosh of air as Hak's wings stretched wide behind him, their tips nearly touching the ceiling, the deep black feathers blending in with the darkness. Jae-ha's smile vanished. This wasn't like their usual banter. From the way he used Jae-ha's real name instead of that stupid nickname and the waves of power rolling off him, Hak was _really_ angry.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" asked Hak, voice trembling as he tried to keep control. "Do you have any idea what would happen not only to me, but to Yona as well, if anyone found out about us and Soo-won?"

"No one heard me. The music was loud."

"But they _could have_!" Hak turned to smash his fist against the wall, and Jae-ha was glad he hadn't directed the blow at him instead. As fun as it sounded, getting into a physical fight with Hak was not in his plans for the night. "We trusted you with this. Don't make us regret it."

The truth in his words made Jae-ha flinch. Hak and Yona had been his closest friends for decades now, and that they had entrusted him with this secret was proof of that. He still saw no problem with them being in a relationship with a demon - Jae-ha couldn't claim to understand it, but they seemed happy, and that was enough for him. Others, however, would never accept it. Hatred was engraved in most of his race's heart, and it could be a powerful thing, capable of erasing any possibility of understanding from one's mind. 

Jae-ha was a fool to have played with that so lightly.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to put as much sincerity in his voice as possible to make Hak see that he meant it. "I wasn't thinking."

Hak sighed, his posture deflating as he willed his wings into hiding again. He walked past Jae-ha and sat on the couch, head falling back and eyes closing.  "Just... be more careful."

Jae-ha nodded even if Hak couldn't see it, sitting down next to him. There was tiredness etched on his face, accentuated by the faint moonlight that illuminated it. It was unusual for Hak, who was never fond of showing weakness in front of others. Jae-ha was about to ask what was wrong, but before he could say a word Hak spoke again.

"Yona and I... we don't want to hide it anymore. It's difficult, having to lie and keep looking over our shoulders all the time, for years."

"But you just said-"

"There are rumours," Hak cut him off, eyes opening to stare out the glass windows, "of a place. A village where fallen angels and demons live together. We've been looking into it. So has Soo-won."

"What?" Jae-ha straightened up, trying to find any signs of a joke, but Hak seemed dead serious. "You don't actually believe that, do you? It's impossible."

"Why? Because demons and angels hate each other? Our relationship with Soo-won is proof that it's not always the case. Even you, Droopy Eyes," Hak added, "You might not love them, but you don't seem to hate them for no reason either. You only attack when it's self-defense. You didn't judge Soo-won when we told you about him just because he's a demon."

"Yeah, but that's…," Jae-ha didn't know how to respond. Hak was right in what he said, but to think that there could be others - enough to form a village - that shared the same point of view as theirs was difficult to believe. Much less likely was that such a place could exist without suffering the wrath of both races, and Jae-ha said as much, but Hak shook his head.

"That's why it's just rumours," he said. "They don't exactly go around announcing it, and the place is well-hidden. It hasn't been easy to find information, and we have to be careful who we ask. It could be that the rumours are fake, but it's worth a try."

Jae-ha thought he could understand Hak's perspective. He'd never been in a relationship for such a long time, but hiding behind lies was bound to be tiring. Still, the idea of them leaving to some kind of hidden place left him a little unsettled. What Yona had said earlier was true; the _Broken Wings_ had become one of the only constants in his life, and Jae-ha was pretty sure the place itself wasn't the reason for that.

"I should go back out there," said Hak, getting up. Jae-ha followed suit, hating the heavy atmosphere that was left after such a serious conversation.

"Tired of my lovely company already, Hak?" he asked, feigning a hurt expression. Hak muttered, "Shut up, Droopy Eyes," but there was a mocking tone to his voice, and just like that the tension was gone and they were back to their usual banter.

Promising he would behave around Yona, Jae-ha went back to the first floor, only to find it even more crowded than before. He wanted to talk to Yona about about his conversation with Hak, but there was no way to do that while she was working. Deciding to think about it later and seek a distraction, Jae-ha made his way to the bar and waited until Yona's attention turned to him.

"Busy night?" he asked, watching as she started preparing his drink without him even asking. He always ordered the same thing, anyway.

"We've had worse," said Yona. Noticing the way he was scanning the room, she added, "Looking for tonight's victim?"

"Victim? You wound me, Yona dear, that makes me sound like some kind of predator," Jae-ha said, taking a sip of the drink she had given him. "Love is a beautiful thing. I merely do what I can to help people experience it."

"You're hopeless."

Jae-ha laughed. Then, his eyes fell on one of the corners of the dance floor, where a silver haired man stood alone. He was clearly out of his element - he kept looking around the room with an anxious stare, fidgeting as if he didn't know whether to start dancing or not. But it wasn't his awkwardness that caught Jae-ha's attention.

The man was beautiful. The silver bangs that shadowed part of his face seemed to glow under the dim light; his face was pale as well, and it looked so delicate that Jae-ha would've thought he was another fallen angel if it weren't for the fact that, apart from Jae-ha, most of them preferred to stay on the second floor instead of mingling with the humans.

Jae-ha smiled and downed the rest of his drink, leaving the empty glass on the bar.

"Time for me to go, Yona dear. Love is calling."

Yona was busy taking some orders, so she just made a shooing motion with her hand. Jae-ha laughed and headed towards the man, who was still oblivious to his approach. He was serious, and his mouth moved as if he were talking to himself; he didn't look up even when Jae-ha stopped beside him.

"You look like you could use some company," Jae-ha said, leaning forward to speak closer to the man's ear under the pretense of not having to yell over the music.

The man jumped in surprise, taking a step back and turning startled eyes towards Jae-ha, who caught his breath when a beam of light fell on the stranger's face, much more beautiful now that he was seeing it up close. Bright blue eyes ran over Jae-ha's face, and for a moment they seemed to darken - a trick of the flickering lights, no doubt, for they were back to normal in a moment.

"W-What?" the man said, voice a bit harsh. Jae-ha backed away a little, giving him some space as if to show he was harmless.

"I was simply wondering what a lovely man such as yourself is doing all alone in a club like this."

For a few moments, the man stood speechless, hesitancy written across his face. Jae-ha was about to apologize and walk away - maybe he wasn't interested in other guys - when his expression changed to one of determination.

"I was... I'm Kija. Do you want to dance?" the man asked, and Jae-ha had to hold in his laughter at his awkwardness. It was almost endearing, the way Kija looked like he was readying himself for battle instead of trying to flirt with a stranger.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kija. I'm Jae-ha." Jae-ha took Kija's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I would love to dance with you."

He pulled Kija towards the middle of the dance floor, noticing the tension that still remained in his body even as he followed. Determined to get him to relax, Jae-ha kept his hands on Kija's waist even as they started dancing, glad that the crowd gave him an excuse to stay close without scaring him away.

Jae-ha was used to being the center of attention whenever he started dancing; his race's graceful way of moving was a beacon to human eyes, made even more apparent on the dance floor. This time, however, he felt like he wasn't the only one drawing fascinated stares. Kija's movements didn't look practiced, but they were flawless nonetheless. Jae-ha found himself pulling him closer still; Kija's hands made their way around his neck, nails scraping the skin with just a little too much force, making him shiver. Jae-ha's hands tightened on Kija's waist. He had no idea if the other was teasing him on purpose, but he didn't seem to be nearly as cautious as before. Seeing this as a good sign, Jae-ha brought his lips close to Kija's, giving plenty of time for him to pull back. He didn't, instead meeting Jae-ha halfway in a forceful kiss; no trace of hesitancy left as he opened his mouth for Jae-ha's tongue. Regardless of his previous awkwardness, Jae-ha was surprised to realize that Kija was a really good kisser.

Even though he wished he didn't have to let go of Kija so soon, being in the middle of the crowded dance floor was getting a bit uncomfortable. Leaving a trail of kisses on his jaw all the way to his hear, Jae-ha said, "Why don't we go somewhere more quiet?"

The grip on his neck tightened and Kija's eyes seemed to darken once again when he answered, his voice almost too low to be heard over the music.

"Okay."

Since he already knew the place, Jae-ha led the way through the dance floor towards a door at the back. This wasn't the first time he had taken someone to the alley behind the club; even if he'd rather go somewhere nicer, it wasn't smart for him to take just anyone to his house, which meant he was used to having to settle for whatever place he could find, as long as it was away from prying eyes.

Not loosening his hold on Kija's hand, Jae-ha ignored the cold air that hit them as they stepped outside the club. The alley was dark, and after the door slammed shut behind them all that was left of the music was a low beat slipping through the walls. Those things were barely registered in the back of Jae-ha's mind as he pushed Kija against the wall, their lips meeting once again in a desperate kiss.

Kija's hands were fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, his lips moving down Jae-ha's chin to his neck. They burned a trail on his skin and Jae-ha groaned; every single thought skipping his mind as he focused on the heat, on how Kija's body trembled and heated up, almost like-

Jae-ha's eyes flew open and in a split second he'd pushed Kija away with all his inhuman strength. Pain tore through his chest, and when he looked down there were three long gashes, the blood already soaking through his torn shirt. His gaze moved to Kija, who had been thrown against the wall with enough force to crack some of the bricks behind him, but was already getting back up. His eyes glowed red, and his nails were now long and sharp, like claws - claws that had just tried to tear a hole through Jae-ha's chest.

"Oh, fuck," Jae-ha muttered, letting his wings unfold behind him as his eyes turned gold. This was definitely not the way he thought his night would go; if he hadn't sensed the demon's transformation in time, he'd be in pieces by now. "That's not what usually comes after kissing, you know? Attempted murder tends to ruin the mood."

"Quiet, angel," the last word was spit out like a curse as Kija attacked again. Jae-ha used his wings to get himself out of reach, but the alley was narrow, not giving him much room to maneuver. He could fly away from the building and hope that the demon would follow him, but there was a chance that he might stay and go after someone else instead, and Jae-ha couldn't allow that.

Kija was fast; he turned around, using the wall as leverage to jump, claws stretched out. Moments before they made contact, Jae-ha took advantage of Kija's lack of control over his jump and tried to dive below him, but the other managed to grab hold of one of his wings. Jae-ha hissed as the sensitive feathers were mangled; he willed the wings to disappear, getting rid of Kija's hold but causing them both to fall to the ground in a tangled mess.

Jae-ha kicked hard to dislodge Kija's body from the top of his own, ignoring the stabs of pain on his chest and back as he rolled to the side, raising himself so that he was the one hovering over Kija.

"You leave me no choice," he muttered, swinging his arm as if he was going to punch him. Midway through the movement, however, there was a flash of light, and what made contact with Kija's blocking arms was not Jae-ha's fist, but a glimmering blade, its color the same gold as Jae-ha's eyes. It sunk through flesh with a wet sound, grazing the bone, and Kija gritted his teeth against a scream, his eyes widening at the sight of the heavenly weapon.

Jae-ha smirked. He always got the same reaction whenever he used his dagger against demons. Instruments made from the steel of Heaven were not in the possession of many nowadays, but he'd always been careful with his collection; the element of surprise was a nice advantage to have in fights such as this one. The blade heated up in his hand when it made contact with Kija's arm, and Jae-ha was about to call the fight a win - most demons either ran away or succumbed quickly to their biggest weakness - when Kija did something unexpected. He pushed his arm forward and to the side, forcing the blade to slice through flesh until it was free, slick blood coating it and making Jae-ha's hold slippery.

Temporarily distracted by the shock, Jae-ha didn't move away from Kija's good arm in time. Fingers closed around his throat, the point of the demon's claws prickling the sensitive skin as he squeezed. A choked sound escaped Jae-ha's throat as his air was cut off; the hand that was holding the dagger loosened and caused the blade to fall to the ground and skitter to the side. Eyes starting to water, Jae-ha reached for it again, struggling against Kija's hold. Luckily for him, Kija was still debilitated by the effects of the heavenly weapon, so he was able to lean forward enough to grab the dagger again and blindly stab Kija's side, pushing the blade in as deeply as he could.

The demon let go of him with a hiss of pain, and Jae-ha was quick to push himself up and take a few steps back, pulling out the dagger as he went. He watched as Kija tried to stand up, leaning on the wall for support as he swayed unsteadily on his feet. Blood oozed out of his injury, darkening his clothes and pooling on the floor, filling the air with a metallic tang.

Incapable of speaking, he cast one last look at Jae-ha, eyes burning with hatred. Jae-ha prepared himself for another attack, but Kija turned his back to him, jumping high enough to catch hold of the top of the wall, pulling himself up with a groan. Jae-ha stood quietly, simply watching as the demon disappeared on the other side, conscious of the fact that his body hurt and he was still bleeding, until the sound of steps stumbling as they tried to run vanished.

Then, he reached inside his jacket, giving a sigh of relief when he saw that his cellphone had survived the fight nearly intact. He quickly dialed a well known number and brought the device up to his ears, gaze still fixed on the place where Kija had disappeared.

"Hak, you need to come outside."


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure he was alone?"

"If you ask me that question one more time, Hak, I'm going to cut your wings off," said Jae-ha. "If he weren't alone, I wouldn't be alive right now. The guy was good."

He sighed, wiping the blood off his blade on his torn clothes. It was a shame that his coat was ruined; it was one of his favorites, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. His chest stung where Kija's claws had broken the skin and he still hadn't opened his wings to inspect the damage done there, ignoring the blood that stuck to his back. What bothered him the most wasn't the pain, which would disappear soon with his fast healing, but the fact that his injuries were a reminder of how unprepared he'd been for the attack. It was almost embarrassing having to explain to Hak how Kija had managed to distract him enough to catch him by surprise.

Hak didn't seem that interested in his explanation, however, reacting with no more than a resigned grunt. He was more focused on the attack itself and the reasons behind it - worries that Jae-ha could understand.

"It's rare for demons to attack our territory like that."   


Hak nodded, crouching down to take a look at the blood trail Kija had left behind. Even in the dim light of the alley, the dark spots were visible on the ground and on the wall the demon had climbed. 

"We have to find out if he was acting on his own or following orders," he said. "There's a lot of blood, so he couldn't have gone far."

"He's probably dead by now, Hak."

"We don't know that for sure. If he was under someone's command, we need to know and be prepared for more attacks."

It was clear from Hak's voice that there wouldn't be a discussion about this, as Jae-ha would expect from him considering that the security of the club was at stake. He wasn't one to wait around for something to happen; if there was even the slightest chance of getting answers, Hak would go after them.

"I have to clean this up before anyone sees all the blood. The last thing we need is the police showing up. And  _ you _ are not in any condition to stay here either."

"I'm fine. Just need a change of clothes."

Jae-ha held Hak's stare with a defiant one of his own.

"Great," Hak relented, "Then you won't mind tracking the demon down before you go home, will you? The sooner we find him the better."

Jae-ha refrained from sighing again. He could argue that he didn't like to get involved in this kind of thing, but the truth was that he'd been involved from the moment he started talking to Kija on the dance floor. He could do this as a favor for Hak; he would most likely end up finding the demon's body, confirming his death, and it would be all over without becoming too much of a hassle.

"Fine. I'll call you if I find anything."

Jae-ha unfolded his wings, the cold air hitting the place where his feathers were mangled painfully. It was uncomfortable, but he was glad the injury wasn't serious enough to prevent him from flying. Leaving Hak behind, he went to the other side of the wall, observing the blood that made a sinuous trail towards the street, hiding his wings again to go out into the open space.

It seemed like even injured, Kija had tried to stay out of sight; the trail was close to the shadows cast by the buildings, sometimes circling behind trees with blood in their trunk where the demon must have stopped to rest. As Jae-ha walked, he kept an eye out for any passersby who might be alerted by his appearance, but he didn't see a single person out on the street apart from himself.

Jae-ha didn't have to keep searching for long before the trail led him to an old building. By the looks of it, it had been abandoned a long time ago; some of it had collapsed, and what was left of the paint was cracked and dirty. There was no door to block anyone from entering, and the blood led directly into the darkness in wide, continuous marks as if Kija had dragged himself through the last few meters.

Jae-ha didn't have to go too deep into the place to find him. He was propped against the wall right beside the entrance, and if it weren't for the pallor of his skin he might have gone unnoticed against the shadows. His eyes were closed and his clothes were almost entirely covered in blood; the first thing that crossed Jae-ha's mind was that he'd been right and Kija was already dead. Getting closer, however, Jae-ha noticed that his chest still rose and fell, albeit just a little.

He considered his options - leave Kija to die and lie to Hak about finding him still alive, or take him to his place and try to save him so he could give out the answers Hak wanted. As tempting as it was to go for the first one, Jae-ha couldn't bear the thought of betraying his friend's trust like that, the night's previous events still fresh on his mind. With a resigned sigh, he took off what was left of his jacket, ripping it to tie the fabric tightly around Kija's wounds before picking him up.

As he left the building and opened his wings, Jae-ha thanked the late hour and the darkness that allowed him to fly without being seen. His place wasn't that far, but it still took some time to get there, even if he didn't have to stop that many times to hide. He could hear Kija's breathing growing weaker; hopefully the demon wouldn't die on the way, leaving Jae-ha with a body to get rid of.

Finally, he landed on the rooftop of his building, jumping from there to his apartment's balcony. His choice of a place on the highest floor had been made with his flights in mind - Jae-ha came and went frequently, and it was better to have direct access to his apartment; the penthouse allowed him to easily land without being noticed.

Jae-ha closed the blinds as he went through the glass doors, blocking the apartment from view of any of the surrounding buildings. He wasted no time bringing Kija to his room, where he placed him on the bed before going to the bathroom to get first aid supplies. 

"Damn it, Hak, you owe me new sheets," he mumbled as he got rid of Kija's blood-soaked shirt and makeshift bandages. The biggest problem was the wound on his side; Jae-ha was surprised the demon was holding out for so long with his healing abilities hindered by the heavenly steel.

Jae-ha set to work, cleaning the wounds as best as he could and stitching them closed, but he could do nothing about the blood loss. By the time he finished wrapping clean bandages around Kija, his breathing had become less ragged, even though he was still extremely pale. Jae-ha let himself sit on the floor, his back against the wall.

"You better have some pretty good answers for me when you wake up," he said, looking at the unconscious man on his bed.

Despite the exhaustion seeping through his bones, Jae-ha forced himself to get up. He took another look at Kija, but there were no signs of him waking up. He'd probably be unconscious for a long time, so Jae-ha decided it'd be okay to leave him unsupervised as he took a shower; he felt filthy, with dried blood all over his clothes, making them stick uncomfortably to his wounds. He gathered Kija's discarded shirt and what was left of his coat and carefully pulled the sheets out from under the demon's body, piling everything in one corner of the room. He'd find a way to get rid of those later.

As much as he'd like to stand under the warm stream of water for a good half an hour, Jae-ha quickly washed himself until there was no more blood left.  When he came out of the bathroom, already wearing a pair of pajama pants - he usually got changed in his room, but he felt way too defenseless walking around naked with a demon in his house - his phone was buzzing where he'd left it on the nightstand. Jae-ha picked it up, knowing who was calling even before he saw the name on the screen.

"Hak," he said into the receiver.

"Did you find him?" Hak's voice was muffled by the sound of music in the background, which meant that he was still at the club, but Jae-ha could still notice how serious he sounded.

"Barely alive, but I found him," Jae-ha replied. "He still hasn't woken up, so I haven't been able to ask anything."

"You brought him to your place?"

"Yeah. You're welcome, by the way. I saved the life of a demon who tried to murder me just so you could get a few answers," he said. He didn't add that had no regrets about doing it; despite his slip-up that night, Hak would know that if Jae-ha carried out such a request it was because he understood it was important.

"Thanks, Droopy Eyes. I wouldn't have asked if it weren't a risk to the club." 

"I know, I know." Jae-ha sighed. "Have you told Yona?"

"She's still working, so not yet. I'll tell her once we close for the night." There was some rustling and Hak yelled something that he couldn't quite make out. "I have to go. Call me as soon as the demon wakes up."

Before Jae-ha could say anything else, Hak hung up. Throwing the phone back on the nightstand, Jae-ha went to the living room to grab a chair, placing it next to the bed where he could keep an eye on Kija. He didn't look dangerous, lying motionless like that with no anger marring his features; even after seeing him in action, Jae-ha found it hard to conciliate the beautiful man he saw with the fierce demon who attacked him.

"And he was a good kisser, too," he mused out loud, "Such a waste."

As time passed, Jae-ha felt his eyelids getting heavier. He blinked, trying to stay awake, but it had been an exhausting night and his body was begging for some rest. His head fell back against the chair, his eyes closing despite his efforts as he fell asleep.

* * *

Jae-ha awoke with a start to the sound of someone groaning. There was sunlight coming from behind the blinds, which meant that at least a few hours had passed, and he cursed himself for being so careless. On the bed, Kija had begun to stir, his eyes opening slowly as he tried to make sense of where he was.

"Well, good morning, sunshine," Jae-ha said. His voice was light and his posture didn't change, but he had his muscles tensed and ready to summon his dagger should Kija be strong enough to try attacking him.

" _ You _ ," Kija hissed as soon as his eyes landed on Jae-ha. He quickly sat up and tried to get out of the bed, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment before he collapsed on the ground, coughing.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. Your wounds will reopen," Jae-ha said, watching Kija clutch his side as he leaned against the bed, breath coming in pants as he stared at him with the same hatred as the previous night. "Is that what I get for saving your life? No thank-you kiss?"

"Stop saying disgusting things," Kija replied, his voice harsh even though there was a light blush on his cheeks.

"You didn't seem that disgusted last night. Before you tried to kill me, that is," Jae-ha laughed, motioning to where Kija had cut him with his claws. The wound was almost healed, with nothing but a few red marks left. "Look," he continued, his smile disappearing. "I don't like this just as much as you don't. So why don't you tell me what you were doing at the  _ Broken Wings _ and we can get this over with soon?"

"I'm not telling you anything." Kija tried launching himself at Jae-ha again, but the other was faster, moving away from the chair before the demon could reach him. He fell with a groan against the floor, red starting to seep through his bandages.

"I told you not to move. I'm gonna have to stitch you up again."

"Stay away from me," Kija said. "I'd rather die."

"Well, you would, losing blood like that," Jae-ha observed, "But unfortunately for you, letting you die is not in my plans. You'll most likely faint before that happens, I'll treat you anyway, and we'll be in this same situation again. Or I can just tie you up," he raised his hand and a pair of golden handcuffs appeared. "That dagger isn't the only thing made from heavenly steel I own. Your choice."

Kija didn't answer, which Jae-ha took as a sign that he'd given up. Putting the handcuffs down on the nightstand, he helped him get back on the bed, ignoring the way Kija flinched at his touch. He was glad he hadn't put the first aid kit back in the bathroom the previous night - leaving the demon alone right now would be a terrible idea.

"You try anything, and I'll use those," he warned, pointing to the handcuffs.

"I could scream. Get the police to come, and say that you kidnapped me," Kija said through gritted teeth, his hands pressed into fists on the mattress as Jae-ha unwrapped his bandages. He trembled with barely controlled anger.

"You won't," Jae-ha replied. "You and I both know that encounters with the police never end well for people like us."

"I am  _ not _ like you."

Jae-ha suppressed a sigh. He might not have the same predisposition to hate demons as most fallen angels, but Kija was surely getting on his nerves. Besides, he  _ had _ tried to kill him, so he wasn't feeling overly sympathetic towards the demon at the moment.

"You might have a point there," he snapped, tightening the new bandages with a little more force than necessary. "I don't go around trying to kill people for fun."

"For fun?" Kija asked, indignation clear on his voice. "This is a war. We are meant to kill each other."

"We are meant to do whatever we choose to do," Jae-ha said, sitting back on the chair now that he was done treating the other's wound. "It is because there are those who make the same choice as yours that this war keeps going, and not the other way around."

"There is  _ never _ a choice to be made." Jae-ha raised his eyes, surprised to hear Kija's voice tremble with something other than hate. "It doesn't - it  _ can't _ \- work any other way."

The demon's eyes glazed over, and for a moment Jae-ha felt like he was staring right through him. It didn't last long, however, and soon Kija was back to normal.

"You can say whatever you want, angel, but it doesn't change the fact that your kind are killers just as much as I am. And unlike what you think,  _ I'm _ not the one who does it for fun."

"Then why were you at the  _ Broken Wings _ ?" Jae-ha asked once again. "Demons don't attack our territory."

"Other demons don't," Kija said, "because they're cowards. If I waited around like them, you'd just attack us first."

His words led Jae-ha closer to the answers he was seeking. He was pretty sure Kija had been acting on his own; he just needed a more concrete confirmation before he could tell Hak that the club was safe. Taking advantage of the fact that Kija was finally revealing his plans, Jae-ha tried to get more details out of him. "You couldn't have possibly thought you could do much going there alone."

"You underestimate me. I almost killed you." Jae-ha raised his eyebrow, looking skeptic. "It's true! I-I was... surprised, is all. Most of you don't carry heavenly weapons around. I'll definitely kill you next time!" Kija finished, not making eye contact for the first time since their conversation had started.

Jae-ha almost laughed, trying to hide his smile as he reached for his phone. The more they talked, the more he realized that Kija was strange. He was fierce, full of anger, bloodthirsty in battle - but he was awkward, almost shy sometimes, and it intrigued Jae-ha how contradictory his demeanor could be.

However, even if he was curious, he still didn't let his guard down as he dialed Hak's number. It didn't take long for his friend to pick up, and Jae-ha was quick to tell him about his conversation with Kija. Jae-ha watched as the demon's expression soured with every word that came out of his mouth.

"What should I do with him now?" Jae-ha asked.

"You decide," was Hak's answer, and then the line was dead.

"Honestly, Hak," Jae-ha shook his head, "You really need to improve your conversation skills."

There was a rustling sound from the bed, and he raised his eyes only to find Kija trying to get up once again.

"Hey, didn't I tell you to stay-" he put his hand on Kija's shoulder and pushed him back on the bed. "quiet? If you rip those stitches open again I swear I'll let you bleed to death."

"I refuse to let you kill me without fighting," the demon said.

"Who said anything about me killing you?" Jae-ha asked and Kija stopped moving, a puzzled look on his face.

"That's obvious. You got your information. Now you'll get rid of me. But I will not-"

"Woah, wait a minute! I'm not going to do that." Jae-ha interrupted. "Well, if you attack me again, I'll have no choice. But I didn't save your life just so I could take it again." He could tell by the way Kija stood motionless that he hadn't expected that answer, so he took advantage of his silence to continue. "I can't just let you go, though. Not when you'll just go kill someone else."

Jae-ha fell back against the chair, feeling drained. He had no idea what to do; as he had just said, he couldn't let Kija go and he wouldn't even consider killing him for no reason. However, even if the demon was too weak right now, he would eventually recover from his wounds, and there was no doubt that he'd attack Jae-ha as soon as he could.

He eyed the handcuffs on the nightstand. He disliked the idea of using them, since the feel of heavenly steel against a demon's skin burned and Jae-ha had no interest in torture. But he couldn't stay in his bedroom forever - he was getting hungry already.

"Sorry about this," he said, grabbing the handcuffs and putting one of them around Kija's wrist and the other around the bedpost. Kija struggled, groaning as the material seared his flesh. "It's just for a while. I'll get us some food."

"I don't want your food," Kija hissed, but Jae-ha ignored him, heading out of the bedroom towards the kitchen.

In a few minutes, he came back with two trays, filled with toast and glasses of orange juice. He set one of them in front of Kija, summoning the key to release his arm, then settled on the chair with the other one on his lap. He ignored Kija's angry stare and started eating, glad he could finally recover some of his energy.

By the time he had finished, Kija hadn't even touched his food. Jae-ha simply took the tray back with his own - after making sure Kija was properly handcuffed again. If he wanted to starve himself, there was nothing Jae-ha could do; this was already more than he ever thought he'd do for a demon. Besides, he had enough to worry about, not knowing what decision he should make regarding him.

He was running through the options in his head once again as he put the trays on the kitchen counter when a loud banging coming from the balcony startled him. His first thought was that Kija had somehow escaped, and Jae-ha had his dagger in hand as he dashed into the living room. There was no one in there, however, and Jae-ha realized the sound was coming from the outside. He pulled the curtains open, only to let his dagger fall to the floor in shock at the scene in front of him.

"Jae-ha, help us," a crying Yona pleaded, with Hak standing behind her holding a bleeding man in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

"What happened?" Jae-ha asked, opening the doors so Hak and Yona could enter. He was still trying to make sense of the situation as he led them to his bedroom, ignoring Kija's wide eyes as Hak put the wounded man down on the bed. "Is that Soo-Won?"

"Yes, we'll explain later. We need to do something about this," Yona said. Jae-ha had never seen her like this, with tears streaming down as she tried to remove the bloody clothing that stuck to Soo-Won's chest with trembling fingers. The demon had his eyes closed tight, his body twitching with spasms every now and then, pain written across his face.

"Let me do this, Yona dear," Jae-ha gently pushed her hands aside and finished the task. "Oh, fuck," he swore when he saw the gaping hole of a bullet dangerously close to Soo-Won's heart. He threw a questioning look at Hak, who still hadn't said anything. His body was rigid with worry as he watched his boyfriend grow paler with every passing second.

"Demons," he explained. "They had heavenly weapons. The bullet is made from heavenly steel."

Jae-ha wondered when all the surprises would stop. Even for him, the past hours had held way too many of them, and it was only his first night back in the city. He still had a lot of questions, but it would be better to ask them later. Right now, he had to focus on the demon dying in front of him; it almost felt like déjà-vu.

Before any of them could do anything else, however, they were interrupted by Kija's scream.

"Is he... a demon? What did you do to him?  _ What did you do? _ "

He struggled against the handcuffs that bound his wrist, eyes flickering red even though he was still too weak to fully transform. Hak grabbed hold of his arms, stopping him from reaching Jae-ha's neck. Summoning a key, Jae-ha tossed it to Hak, not even bothering to look at Kija.

"Take him to the living room and make sure he doesn't escape. Yona and I can handle this."

He knew Hak had done as he was told when the room became suddenly quieter. Jae-ha raised his eyes to Yona, motioning towards the first aid kit that lay on the floor.

"Get that for me, will you, Yona dear? I'm gonna need your help with this. Can you do it?"

Even though she was still crying, Yona's expression hardened in determination and she nodded. Getting the supplies Jae-ha had asked for, both of them set to work on Soo-Won's wound. It was more difficult than treating Kija; the bullet remained lodged in his chest, and they had to get it out before they could do any more. If it were a regular bullet, a demon's body would be able to dissolve it easily and it would be healed in mere moments, but this was the first time Jae-ha had seen one made from heavenly steel; the damage was considerably worse.

"I'll hold him down while you get the bullet out, okay?" Jae-ha asked, moving so he was resting his weight on Soo-Won's legs, keeping him from moving them as he pressed his arms down on the mattress. He wished the demon would faint already; this would be a lot less complicated if he was unconscious like Kija had been. "He has to stay quiet. We don't want to alert the entire building."

"Okay." Yona whispered something in Soo-Won's ear, running her fingers through his sweat-plastered hair. Whatever she'd said, he seemed to have understood; his muscles tensed under Jae-ha's grip as Yona prepared to take the bullet out.

It didn't take long for Jae-ha to lose track of time as he helped Yona stop the bleeding and close the wound. He had to admire Soo-Won's strength; he stayed conscious during most of it, not a sound leaving his lips even when it was clear that he was in pain. By the time they were finished, however, his body had gone slack, his breathing the only sign that he was still alive.

Yona collapsed by his side, shaking with the sobs she'd been holding back. Her hands gripped Soo-Won's tightly, and she raised teary eyes to Jae-ha.

"Thank you," she said. Jae-ha simply nodded, feeling his heart constrict at the sight of his friend. With the excuse of getting Hak, he left the room, passing through the bathroom first to get rid of the blood on his hands. He looked in the mirror, at the red spots that also dirtied his skin and pants, and sighed. He'd need another shower.

On the living room, Jae-ha found Kija sitting on the couch, with Hak standing across from him. Both of them looked exhausted, but as soon as Jae-ha cleared his throat, they turned to look at him. Hak got up immediately, his eyes going straight to the blood all over his body.

"It might take a few days," Jae-ha said, "But he'll be fine. He's asleep now. Yona's still with him, if you want to go in there."

"Thank you, Droopy Eyes," Hak said, relief etched across his face. "We'll leave as soon as he wakes up."

Jae-ha shook his head, smiling.

"It almost sounds like you don't know me, Hak. Stay here for as long as you need. I'll take some clean clothes and sheets for you later."

Hak threw him another grateful look before he left the room, leaving Jae-ha alone with Kija. The handcuffs lay on the table along with the key, but Jae-ha made no move to get them. 

"You should be thankful that the blood in your clothes is dry, or I'd be really mad about my couch," he said, but there was no response. "Thought you'd try to escape."

"I did," Kija admitted, bitterness lacing his words as he traced the bandages on his side. "That demon," he added, "The angel - Hak, is it? - said he's their... boyfriend."

"Yes," Jae-ha agreed, looking curiously at him.

"That can't be."

"Why not?"

" _ Because _ ," Kija said, his hands closing into fists on his lap, "They're angels, he's a demon. It's obvious that something like that could never work out."

If it were a while ago, Jae-ha might have agreed with Kija. He'd said something similar to Hak the previous night, when he doubted the existence of a village where both races lived in peace. As much as he was against the war, that didn't mean he believed everyone could suddenly get along with each other. However, after seeing the way Yona and Hak had been desperate while Soo-Won was dying, Jae-ha had started thinking that maybe there could be more than one exception, if only strong feelings like theirs were involved.

"I think they'd disagree," he said, "after being together for years."

Kija shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word Yona entered the room. She looked wearily at Kija, but Jae-ha made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"I've got him under control, don't worry," he said, to which Kija mumbled something unintelligible. "Why don't you sit down, Yona dear? You must be tired."

She shook her head, motioning to her blood-soaked clothes.

"Hak said I should get out of the room for a while," she said, her voice still raw from crying. "And you probably want an explanation, Jae-ha."

Jae-ha couldn't deny that she was right. Curiosity was eating away at him, and none of the possibilities that had been running through his head seemed to make sense.

"Hak said you were attacked by demons."

"We were."

"But how..."

"I don't know," Yona interrupted before Jae-ha could finish his question. "I have no idea how they found out about our relationship, since we were careful about where and when we met. But somehow, they knew. And they must have followed Soo-Won - I'm afraid we were a bit... careless today." She glanced at Kija, and Jae-ha was sure there was something she wasn't mentioning on purpose. "There were five of them... and they all had heavenly weapons."

During all his years on Earth, Yona and Hak had been some of the strongest fallen angels Jae-ha had met. They were skilled in battle, and taking on five demons shouldn't have been that difficult for them, especially if they had Soo-Won fighting by their side. Jae-ha guessed that the shock of seeing the demons using weapons designed to kill their own kind must have put them in a disadvantage; even he was still trying to accept that turn of events.

For a moment, he'd forgotten that Kija was still in the room, but was reminded of his presence just in time to block his path towards Yona. Kija struggled against Jae-ha's hold, suddenly desperate in contrast to his rather calm demeanor until then.

"You're lying," he hissed. The anger Jae-ha had seen in his eyes earlier had returned, but there was also something else - fear, perhaps. "We would  _ never  _ kill any of our own, angel, what use would we have for those filthy weapons of yours?"

" _ We _ never thought it was possible either, until Soo-Won was shot. " Yona looked at Kija with something akin to pity. "By one of you."

Kija's nails dug painfully in Jae-ha's arm and he gritted his teeth, but before he could protest again, Jae-ha asked, "How did you escape?"

"Hak managed to kill the one with the gun. I don't think... I've ever seen him angry like that." Yona paused, her eyes unfocused as if she were remembering the scene. "They got sloppy after that - I don't think they expected us to put up so much of a fight - and we took the chance to get Soo-Won and run. We might've been able to kill the rest if we stayed there, but if we did..."

"Soo-Won would have died," Jae-ha finished her sentence and Yona flinched at his words, nodding. "Didn't they follow you?"

"At first, but we lost them before coming here."

Jae-ha felt relief wash over him. He knew that Hak and Yona would never put him in danger deliberately, but in such a chaotic situation it was hard to be as careful. Nevertheless, he was glad to know there wasn't a chance of a bunch of demons breaking into his apartment anytime soon. Having two of them there was already more than enough.

They had a problem, though. Heavenly weapons were already rare enough to come by; a few angels still had the ones they brought with them from Heaven, but most had been lost over the years. Jae-ha knew there to be some angels who made a living by finding and selling those weapons, but it didn't explain how  _ demons _ had gotten their hands on them.

While Yona finished her explanation, Kija had stepped away from Jae-ha, his body tense as he paced back and forth. Now, he stood in front of them, head raised in a silent challenge.

"Is the body still there?"

For a moment, neither Yona nor Jae-ha understood, so he asked once again.

"You said you killed one. Is his body still where you left it?"

"I don't know. They could've come back for him."

"Still, there's a chance he might be there, right?" Kija turned to look at Jae-ha. "I want to see him. If you want me to believe that what they're telling is the truth, take me to the place where they were attacked."

Jae-ha was taken aback by Kija's request. He was even more surprised that the demon was considering the possibility of believing them; based on the way he'd acted so far, it was unexpected, and Jae-ha couldn't help but suspect that it might be nothing more than a plan to help him escape.

Kija must have guessed what he was thinking, because he pointed to the handcuffs on the table and said, "Use those if you want. I don't care as long as you take me there."

Jae-ha looked questioningly at Yona, but she only shrugged.

"Fine," he agreed, "But we can't go now. It's broad daylight, so I can't fly there, and there's no way anyone is going out in this state." He motioned to their bloodied clothes. "We'll leave by nightfall."

"I'll tell Hak," Yona said, but Jae-ha shook his head.

"You two stay here with Soo-Won. I'll go with Kija."

Yona looked like she was going to argue, but she gave up at the last moment. Jae-ha was glad he wouldn't have to insist. It would be pointless for them to come with him; more people would only attract more attention, and Kija wasn't fully recovered yet, so keeping an eye on him would be easy. It would be better for her and Hak to care for Soo-Won until he woke up.

"I'm going to check on Hak and get clean clothes for everyone," Jae-ha said, "Can you watch Kija for me, Yona?"

She nodded, staring at Kija as if daring him to try to escape while she was there. Jae-ha laughed; he didn't think Kija would do it, not after his failed attempt with both him and Hak. Leaving the two of them in the room, Jae-ha went to the bedroom, getting the things they'd need from the closet. Hak was sitting on the chair by the bed, his eyes fixed on Soo-Won, but he moved to help Jae-ha take the bloody sheets from under the demon and replace them with clean ones.

"The clothes won't fit any of you perfectly," Jae-ha said, handing Hak pants and a shirt, "But it's better than nothing. You can use the bathroom to wash yourself if you want."

Hak thanked him, but he wasn't focused on Jae-ha. It was visible that he was struggling with something; it had never been easy for him to just stay still and wait, so Jae-ha knew just what was going through his friend's mind.

"I'll go back to the place later today. If I find anything that will help you figure out who did this, I'll tell you," he said.

"I can..."

" _ You _ can stay here with Yona and watch over your boyfriend. I can handle it."

They held each other's stares for a moment, until Hak sighed and shook his head.

"You're too stubborn, Droopy Eyes. But fine, I'll stay here. And I'll get someone to take care of the club for the night."

"Stubborn, me? You're one to talk," Jae-ha teased. It brought the tiniest of smiles to Hak's lips, though it was gone in a second. Satisfied that he'd at least gotten a reaction out of him, Jae-ha left the room, carrying clothes for Yona and Kija in his arms.

A while later, they were feeling refreshed after getting rid of all the blood. Kija had been a difficult case - first, he'd refused to wear an angel's clothes, but had reluctantly agreed after Jae-ha threatened to leave him behind that night if he didn't change. Then, when Jae-ha had followed him to the bathroom to guarantee he wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to escape, he'd turned red and spent a good time stating that he couldn't strip with someone  _ watching _ him. Jae-ha solved the problem by turning his back to Kija, though the demon kept muttering complaints under his breath as he washed himself.

As the evening drew near, Jae-ha had Hak and Yona explain where they were supposed to go. The place was nearly on the other side of the city, so he planned to leave as soon as the sun set. Even though it would've been better to wait until the middle of the night, when there were fewer people on the streets, the chances of them being attacked at that time would also increase, and Jae-ha had had more than enough confrontations in the past twenty-four hours.

Aside from the incident in the bathroom, Kija hadn't said a word to any of them during the whole afternoon. He sat on the couch, lost in thought, and Jae-ha found himself raising his eyes from the book he was reading every now and then, trying to imagine what the demon was thinking. He didn't try to start a conversation until a few hours before they were bound to leave, when he set a plate of food at the table in front of Kija.

"You're going to eat that," he said to the frowning demon.

"Why do you even care?"

"You nearly died from blood loss and you haven't eaten anything since then. I don't want to have to deal with you fainting when we're out there. It'll be troublesome in case we get attacked."

"I'm not that weak," Kija protested, but after a while he reached for the plate, refusing to meet Jae-ha's eyes.

Jae-ha tried to hide his smile behind his own food. He was curious about Kija, but he was sure none of his questions would be answered; perhaps, if their search was successful, he could break through some of those walls. There seemed to be more to his attitude towards fallen angels than blind hate, and Jae-ha was determined to find out what it was.

By the time they were ready to leave, Soo-Won still hadn't woken up. Hak and Yona emerged from the bedroom with exhausted looks on their faces, repeating the directions for the last time and warning Jae-ha to be careful.

"You should try to get some rest," Jae-ha said after dismissing their worries. "You look like you could use some beauty sleep right now. It's good for the skin, you know."

"Shut up, Droopy Eyes," Hak said while Yona just laughed, giving Jae-ha a quick hug.

With Kija properly handcuffed, they stepped onto the balcony. As expected, the demon was against being carried, but Jae-ha reasoned that he wouldn't be able to climb any buildings with his hands shackled. Besides, it would take way too long for them to walk there; flying would be the fastest way. Eventually, Kija agreed, reluctance clear on his face as Jae-ha gathered him in his arms.

Even though Jae-ha had done the same before, it was strange to carry Kija when he wasn't unconscious. He was aware of how close they were, and the way his body felt warm against the cold air reminded him of their kisses the previous night. Even now, knowing what he really was, Jae-ha still felt tempted to bend forward and press his lips against Kija's.

Shaking his head, Jae-ha chastised himself for having such thoughts. This was not the time for that, especially because the only thing running through  _ Kija's _ mind was probably how easy it would be to cut off Jae-ha's head if he could transform. They were almost arriving at their destination, so he should focus on looking out for any enemies that might still be around, not on kissing the one he was holding.

Jae-ha landed a few blocks away from the address Hak and Yona had told him. It was a commercial part of town, which meant that most buildings were empty at this hour; even still, Jae-ha and Kija moved slowly, sticking to a path that the street lights didn't reach. When they were about to enter the street where the ambush had happened, Jae-ha suddenly raised his arm to keep Kija from moving, instead pulling him flat against the building's corner. He leaned forward, peering at the dimly illuminated place, but there was no sign of movement.

"Stay close to me," he warned, releasing Kija and carefully moving away from their hiding spot.

They only had to walk a few steps to notice that the street was empty. According to Hak and Yona, the demon they'd killed had fallen in the middle of it - but there was no sign of a body. When Jae-ha looked closely, however, he noticed a few dark spots that could be dried blood on the asphalt.

"I knew it," Kija's voice startled him, trembling with anger. "They were lying. I knew it couldn't be true."

"Are you stupid? We told you there was a chance the others might have come back for the body already. See, there's still blood here," Jae-ha said, but Kija seemed to have ceased listening to him. His head was bowed down, but through the strands of hair that fell on his face Jae-ha could see that his eyes were red. The handcuffs were enough to keep him from fully transforming in his weakened state, but that didn't stop him from charging towards Jae-ha, who quickly dodged to the side, grabbing Kija from behind and holding his arms close to his body.

"Will you listen to me? If you just start thinking for a moment, you'll see-"

"I don't need to-"

It all happened really fast. Out of the corner of his eye, Jae-ha saw a flash of something gold flying towards them. He screamed "Watch out!" turning around so Kija was shielded by him. Pain pierced his back and his arms relaxed his hold; Kija took the opportunity to get away from him, his eyes fixed on the knife that protruded from between Jae-ha's shoulder blades. The handle was polished wood, but there was no mistaking the golden shine of the steel the blade was made of.

Four figures emerged from the darkness, all of them with red eyes and sharp claws, each one with a heavenly weapon in hand.

"Wait! I'm one of you!" Kija said, raising his arms to show them the handcuffs, but he had to dodge when the demon to his right swinged his sword at him, "Wait!"

In the meantime, Jae-ha had pulled the knife from his back, thankful that the material wasn't harmful to fallen angels. He got to his feet, summoning his dagger on his other hand just in time to stop another attack.

"Kija," he said through gritted teeth, knocking one of the demons unconscious and turning around to block another blow. "They don't care."

"Why are you doing this?" Kija managed to gasp, once again ignoring Jae-ha as the two remaining demons went after him. It was hard for him to dodge their attacks with his hands bound, but he was still agile, using his legs to kick one of them and make him drop his weapon. "I said I'm one of you!"

"Demons do not mingle with the filthiness of angels. You're not one of us," the demon Kija had just unarmed said, reaching towards his back. "You deserve to die."

"Kija!", Jae-ha screamed when he saw the man holding a gun. Pulling out the dagger he'd just pushed into his attacker's stomach, he threw himself against Kija, making them both fall to the ground as the sound of a shot rang through the air. Jae-ha didn't have time to check if Kija was okay; turning around, he barely aimed before releasing the blades he had in both hands. The remaining demons were too slow to dodge, crumbling like dolls when the heavenly weapons pierced their heads.

The street was suddenly silent. Jae-ha got up, making sure none of their enemies were still alive and gathering all their weapons before crouching down next to Kija. He still hadn't moved, his eyes wide in shock, and he flinched when Jae-ha put his hand on his shoulder.

"We should go back before more of them come," Jae-ha said, trying to sound as gentle as he could as he summoned the keys and released Kija's wrists. He waited, but Kija didn't try to attack him, so Jae-ha got up and extended his hand. "Are you hurt?"

Kija shook his head, allowing Jae-ha to help him up. He looked lost, completely different from what Jae-ha had seen before. It made sense that what had just happened would have an impact on him, but Jae-ha was worried about this drastic change. He opened his wings, hesitating before picking Kija up, wondering if he would still be okay with that.

Before he could ask him, Kija wound his arms around Jae-ha's neck, which prompted the other to put his hands behind his knees and back to pick him up. As if Jae-ha wasn't surprised enough, Kija pressed his face against his chest, bringing them even closer than when they'd flown on their way there.

"Let's go back," Kija said, his voice raw and muffled by Jae-ha's shirt. Leaving the questions for later, Jae-ha tightened his hold on the demon before taking off towards the night sky.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as they landed on the balcony of the apartment, Kija detached himself from Jae-ha and went inside without saying a word. Jae-ha hesitated before following; his worry hadn't vanished, instead it only increased with Kija's continuously strange behavior.

"Kija," he began, closing the glass doors behind him. Alerted by the noise, Hak and Yona ran into the living room, relaxing their stance when they saw who it was. Jae-ha stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to draw their attention to the sulking demon now standing next to the couch.

Yona took on their disheveled state and asked, "Did you find the body?"

"It was gone," Jae-ha said, glancing quickly at Kija before continuing. "But it didn't matter. We were attacked."

Jae-ha could see Hak's expression getting darker as he explained them what happened. He took out the weapons he'd gotten from the demons, laying them on the table. There were two knives and daggers, their handles made of wood, which explained how their enemies were able to hold them without being burned by the heavenly steel. The gun was an ordinary one - except for the material the bullets were made of.

"They were most likely the same demons that attacked you earlier," Jae-ha said, motioning towards the gun. "All of them had one weapon, except for the guy who also had this. He probably got it from the one you killed."

"So they were waiting. Hoping one of us would go back there," Hak concluded.

"It's been a while since I've seen so many heavenly weapons together," Yona grabbed one of the daggers, running a finger along the handle with curiosity, and then voiced the question that had been running through Jae-ha's mind ever since she and Hak had arrived with Soo-Won. "How did they get them?"

Jae-ha could only think of one explanation, but if it were true it meant they had gotten involved in something bigger than they first thought, not to mention more dangerous. He didn't have time to say anything, however, because Hak seemed to have similar thoughts.

"Only fallen angels have access to heavenly weapons," he said. "If it were only one, we could say it was nothing, maybe it was stolen by a lucky demon who defeated its previous owner. But this many? For demons to get their hands on them, it has to be through one of our own."

A heavy silence settled as the fallen angels exchanged worried stares. As much as Jae-ha would like to deny it, what Hak was saying was the only possibility that made sense.

"Why do they want them, though? These weapons can't harm us," Yona asked. 

"Demons do not mingle with the filthiness of angels," Kija said, surprising them all. Hak and Yona tensed at his words, but Jae-ha shook his head to assure them it wasn't a threat. "That's what they said. Isn't it obvious?" he let out a dry laugh. "Why do you think they targeted you and your boyfriend in the first place?"

Jae-ha saw the moment realization dawned on them. Hak's hands closed into fists, but the most noticeable change was Yona's - her eyes turned fiery, waves of power rolling off her. It wasn’t often that Jae-ha saw her like that, but it was moments like this that made him happy he wasn't her enemy.

"They'd go that far to get rid of anything that goes against this war. Killing their own kind, that's just-" she stopped, shaking her head. Hak moved closer, pulling her against his chest, and Yona relaxed a little against his hold. When she spoke again, however, none of the determination had left her voice. "We have to find out more. If there are others, we have to stop them."

She looked up at Hak, who tightened his arms around her and nodded. Jae-ha wasn't surprised; Hak would always be by Yona's side no matter what decision she made. When they turned their gaze to him, however, Jae-ha hesitated. Even if he condoned the demons' actions, he could decide to have nothing to do with this potentially dangerous endeavour - there was no reason he would be attacked again, so they weren't a direct threat to him.

When his eyes fell on Kija, however, his resolve crumbled. The demon had that lost look on his face again, and he seemed to have stopped listening to their conversation, his gaze focused elsewhere. Something about what happened that night had gotten to him, and Jae-ha was shocked to realize he  _ wanted _ to find out what it was and put a stop to it. He didn't like how filled with hatred Kija had been, but seeing him like this bothered him even more.

"I'll help you," Jae-ha said, turning to look at Hak and Yona. 

"Knew you would," Hak muttered, smirking when Jae-ha protested against his mocking tone. "I should go to the club," he added, his expression becoming serious once again. "It will be easier to find information there."

"Now? What about Soo-Won? Is he still unconscious?"

"Yes," Yona said, "But it looks like he's getting better. The bullet was inside him for too long, so it's normal that it's...  taking more time than usual." 

"Yona can stay with him," Hak said, "I won't be out for long anyway. The sooner we get information about whoever is doing this the better."

After making Hak promise to be careful, both Jae-ha and Yona agreed to let him go to the  _ Broken Wings _ . As soon as he left, Yona yawned and turned to Jae-ha.

"Is it really okay for us to stay in your bedroom, Jae-ha? You must be tired too."

"Don't worry, Yona dear. This couch is pretty comfortable, you know?" he winked. "There's also a spare futon. I'll get a few things from the closet first so I don't disturb your sleep, but you can stay there without a problem."

Jae-ha expected Yona to follow him towards the bedroom, but she didn't move. When he threw her a puzzled look, she pointed to Kija, who had his back to them and was staring outside through a crack in the blinds. Jae-ha shook his head; it would be fine to leave him alone for a few moments. He had a feeling that escaping was the last thing on Kija's mind right now.

When they got to the bedroom, Yona immediately went to check on Soo-Won. She and Hak were right - he did look better; some of the color had returned to his face, and his breathing was back to normal. Now that he wasn't busy trying to keep the demon from dying, Jae-ha could see that he was beautiful. As he gathered the things he and Kija would need for the night, Jae-ha made a mental note to tease Yona about it later, when they weren't all so worried about things.

Wishing her good night, he went back to the living room, only to find Kija in the exact same position. Jae-ha put the futon down beside the couch along with the pajamas he'd gotten for them, moving until he was standing a few steps behind the demon.

"Are you okay?"

Kija flinched, as if surprised by Jae-ha's words. Without turning his head, he nodded and muttered, "Thank you for saving me tonight. You didn't have to do that."

"What can I do? It's not just my looks that are nice," Jae-ha said in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Kija didn't answer. Smile falling from his face, Jae-ha added, "I brought you some clothes. You can get cleaned up in the bathroom," seeing that Kija was about to protest, he said, "You can go alone. I'll stay here."

This time Kija did turn to him, shock clear in his features. Jae-ha held his gaze, trying to convey that he trusted him not to do anything rash. Slowly, Kija went to the pile of clothes and grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt; with one last look at Jae-ha, he left the room. Jae-ha sighed, throwing himself on the couch to wait for his turn to use the bathroom.

He was nearly dozing off by the time Kija came out. Just like earlier, the clothes were a bit too big for him, and Jae-ha couldn't help but think he looked adorable in them, almost innocent, if that word could even be applied to a demon. He still looked deep in thought, and it reminded Jae-ha that there were a lot of questions he wanted to ask him. However, they could wait until after his shower; Jae-ha was desperate to finally get into his pajamas.

The hot water felt like a blessing to his tired body. Jae-ha took his time washing away the blood and grime that stuck to his skin, relieved that at least for the rest of the night he wouldn't be dragged into any more fights. While he usually didn't enjoy staying still, which explained why he was always traveling and going to clubs, after the last twenty-four hours all he wanted was a few hours of rest without having to leave the apartment.

When he came back to the living room, Jae-ha was disappointed to see that Kija was already asleep on the futon. He couldn't tell if the demon had indeed been too tired or if he was trying to avoid him, but it seemed he wouldn't be getting answers soon either way. Despite his frustration, seeing Kija defenseless like that made Jae-ha feel better. It showed that he had started to trust Jae-ha just as much as he'd trusted him; whatever the demons' attack had changed in him, perhaps it hadn't been a bad thing after all.

Settling down on the couch, Jae-ha fell asleep without much effort. A while later, however, he awoke to Kija's voice, sounding desperate as he trashed against the covers.

"Yoon, come back! I'm sorry! No... please... come back!"

"Kija!" Jae-ha dropped to his knees next to the futon, shaking Kija by the shoulders. The demon opened his eyes, which were bright red and full of tears. One of his hands went to Jae-ha's neck, his body heating up as his nails grew longer. "Kija, stop it! It was a dream," Jae-ha managed to say. "Kija," he repeated, feeling the claws start prickling his skin.

Kija's hold on Jae-ha's neck vanished as he withdrew his hand. His eyes went back to blue as he reverted to human form, but they were still wide as he raised them towards Jae-ha, tears now sliding freely down his face. "I'm sorry," he croaked, but Jae-ha shook his head, a worried look on his face as he tentatively reached towards Kija's face to swipe away a strand of his hair.

"It was just a dream," Jae-ha said once again. He had no idea what prompted Kija to do what he did next - maybe the nightmare had made him more fragile, or the stress of the night's revelations had finally gotten to him - but suddenly his arms were around Jae-ha and his head was buried in his shirt to silence his sobs. Kija clung to him like his life depended on it, and even through the shock Jae-ha managed to wound his arms around him, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to help him calm down.

Jae-ha lost track of how long they stayed like that, but eventually Kija's crying subsided, his body relaxing against Jae-ha's hold. His hands, which were fisted in the angel's shirt, slowly let go of the now damp fabric as he put enough distance between them to look up. Jae-ha could see from his expression that Kija was about to apologize once more, so he cut him off before he could speak.

"Who is Yoon?"

Kija moved completely away from Jae-ha's arms then, opening his mouth and closing it without a sound. He hesitated, worrying his bottom lip, but eventually he started talking.

"Yoon was my friend, many years ago." he said. Jae-ha nodded, signaling for him to go on. "He was also... a fallen angel."

Of all the things Jae-ha expected Kija to say, this was not one of them. He'd been led to believe that Kija hated angels, and even though his behavior had gone against that in the past hours, Jae-ha was sure it had been because of the circumstances. It was difficult to imagine how he could've ever been friends with one of his kind.

Kija, noticing his confusion, smiled bitterly. "I know it's hard to believe. Decades ago, I lived in a village - this will sound even more like a lie, but it's the truth - a village formed by both demons and fallen angels. A place for those who wanted to live in peace,  _ together _ , without being part of the war."

Jae-ha hoped his expression didn't betray the shock he felt upon hearing Kija's words. This was the same type of village Hak had been talking about at the  _ Broken Wings _ , but for its existence to be confirmed - by a demon, nonetheless - was almost too much to process.

Kija wasn't done; he started talking faster once he saw that Jae-ha hadn't yet contested the veracity of his story.

"Everything was great in the beginning. It was a small village, but we were happy. We thought we could just reject the war, and it would leave us alone." Kija looked towards the ceiling, his eyes closing. "We were too naive."

"I was out with Yoon the day it happened; we used to climb the mountains nearby every once in a while. That day, we wanted to watch the sunrise, so we left while it was still dark and everyone was asleep." He swallowed hard as if the next words were stuck in his throat. "When we came back, all the demons were dead, their bodies piled up in the middle of the village, every single one of them wounded by a heavenly weapon. The fallen angels were nowhere to be seen."

Kija's body trembled, and if Jae-ha weren't too surprised to move he would have reached out to him again. He could see where this was going, what Kija had thought, why he'd been so assertive when saying demons and angels couldn't possibly be in good terms.

"Those were my friends, my family, and they were all gone. Murdered. I was blind with anger, so I turned to Yoon, the only fallen angel left," Kija continued. "I blamed him. To me, there was only one explanation. The fallen angels had deceived us, waited until our guard was down and taken the chance to massacre our kind, fleeing afterwards. Yoon swore this wasn't the angels' doing, that no one had ever even thought of harming us, that something had happened to them as well."

"Yoon was... really kind. He was against violence, didn't even know how to fight, but that didn't matter to me. I said nasty things to him that day. I attacked him. I nearly killed my best friend, and for what? For nothing, because it turns out he was saying the truth the entire time."

Kija's voice was raw, his face contorted in regret. Jae-ha didn't think he'd realized he was crying again.

"I couldn't do it. Kill him. I left him there, so I don't know if he actually survived. I want to believe that he did, even if that means he hates me now."

The more he heard of Kija's story, the worse Jae-ha felt about all the things he'd told him in the morning. He'd talked without stopping to think of the reasons behind his acts, and had done the same thing Kija had - jumped to conclusions. Jae-ha had no idea how to comfort him, since it had never been one of his strong points to begin with, but he hated seeing Kija suffer like that.

"If he was as kind as you say he was, he'd understand," he said. "You were fooled into believing a lie, and acted based on that. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Normal people's mistakes don't involve taking lives."

"They don't," Jae-ha agreed. "But we're not talking about normal people. We're talking about fallen angels and demons, who have been taught to hate each other since forever and are in the middle of a war."

Kija didn't seem convinced, so Jae-ha took his hand, forcing him to look straight into his eyes.

"I've killed demons. Hak and Yona? They've killed them too. And I'm sure Soo-Won has killed his share of fallen angels. You can bet we all had our reasons, but that doesn't mean we can't still be against this war. It doesn't mean we can't regret every time we have to kill again - because we probably  _ will _ have to do it.  _ Nothing _ is black and white, Kija. But what makes us different from all the others killing each other out there is that we believe there can be another way, and we'll try to achieve that. You can't turn back time and change the things you did, but you can change what you do from now on.  _ That _ is the most important decision, because it's based on the truth."

Jae-ha could tell Kija wasn't expecting his outburst. Even he was surprised at himself - he hadn't meant to talk that much. However, it seemed to be effective, since Kija had stopped crying at some point. His eyes were wide but serious as he stared at Jae-ha.

"I am... glad I didn't kill you, Jae-ha," he muttered, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "I want to help you. With the investigation about tonight's attackers. If there's any chance I can prevent them from doing things like what was done to my village, I want to try. Will you let me?"

Jae-ha smiled. His life had taken a strange turn, but he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it. He still didn't know much about the real Kija, the one who didn't stare at him with hatred and tried to kill him at every chance he got, but this was an opportunity to find out.

"Of course," he said, and Kija smiled for the first time since they'd met.

* * *

The following morning, Jae-ha awoke to the distant sound of voices. He sat up on the couch, feeling disoriented for a moment, until the events of the previous night came back to him. He looked down, only to find Kija still asleep on his side, the covers tucked neatly beneath his chin. There were no traces of his crying on his face; his skin was smooth, and his lips were pressed into a small pout that made Jae-ha stifle a laugh.

He only noticed he'd been staring at Kija for a while when he heard a sound coming from the bedroom again. Careful not to step on the futon, Jae-ha got up and walked towards the door, knocking a few times before entering.

"I thought you'd never wake up, Droopy Eyes," Hak said. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling despite the dark circles under his eyes. Yona had her back against the headboard and Soo-Won was beside her, wide awake with an arm thrown around her shoulder. "You sleep like the dead. I could've stolen all your food and you wouldn't have noticed."

"Hak, that's rude!" Soo-Won chided before turning to look at Jae-ha. "We haven't been introduced yet, but thank you for saving my life. I'm Soo-Won."

"Jae-ha."

"Where's the other guy?" Hak asked.

"He's still aslee-"

"I'm here," Kija interrupted, appearing on the doorway. His hair was tousled, sticking to different directions, and Jae-ha couldn't resist pointing that out. Kija glared at him and ignored the remark, but his cheeks were quickly turning red. "I also haven't introduced myself. I'm Kija. I'm sorry about my behavior yesterday."

To say Hak and Yona were surprised would be an understatement. They looked from Kija to Jae-ha, identical expressions of disbelief on their faces.

"What's going on?" Yona asked.

"Kija had a change of heart after last night's events. He's on our side now," Jae-ha said, knowing Kija wouldn't want him to reveal the details of their talk. "But we have more urgent matters to discuss. Have you told Soo-Won about what's going on?"

"We have," Hak said, "We were waiting for you so I could share the information I got at the club."

"But there's something else we should tell you before that," Yona added, turning her gaze towards Soo-Won.

"The reason I was careless enough to be followed yesterday," he said, "was because I was in a hurry to meet Yona and Hak. I'd come across information we'd been looking for for a long time, and thought I should share it immediately, so I didn't take the necessary precautions."

"What is it that you found out?" Jae-ha asked, though he already had a suspicion.

Soo-Won's eyes were serious when he answered, "The location of the village of fallen angels and demons."


	5. Chapter 5

"What?" Kija asked.

Jae-ha couldn't blame him for being surprised. He hadn't told Kija about the rumours Hak mentioned, mostly because he didn't want to give him false hope in case it turned out to be nothing. Even after hearing Kija's story the previous night, Jae-ha hadn't expected another village to actually exist.

"We were looking into some rumours for a while. I finally found the truth, but it seems we weren't careful enough about who we'd been posing questions to," Soo-Won said.

Yona nodded and added, "That's probably how they found out about us."

"Wait, you're talking about an actual village? With demons and angels living in it?"

"According to what we've heard, yes," Yona agreed. She turned to Jae-ha. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. We didn't know if we could trust him," she motioned towards Kija, throwing him an apologetic look.

"At the time, you probably couldn't," Jae-ha said, making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "That doesn't matter anymore. If they tracked you through your questioning, does that mean that now other demons know the location too?"

Kija turned pale, but to his relief, Soo-Won shook his head. "I don't think so. Those who know don't give out that information easily, and when they do, it's not where someone could overhear."

Jae-ha looked at his friends. Even if there were more preoccupying matters to discuss, he couldn't help but wonder what this meant to them. From the way Hak had talked at the club, it seemed like their decision to live in the village was set. Now that they had confirmation, it made no sense for them to wait any longer, and Jae-ha said as much.

"It's not that simple," Hak said. "First of all, we can't just appear there, or they'd attack us. We have to send a warning through Soo-Won's contact, and in the light of recent events, it would be too risky to do that so soon."

"Besides," Yona continued, "We said we'd investigate those demons. If there's more of them and we do nothing, what guarantees that they won't find the village eventually and destroy it? It's a representation of everything they hate."

Jae-ha had to admit they had a point. Thanks to Kija, he had a pretty clear mental image of what Yona was saying, although he didn't say it out loud. He looked at the demon, who had been quiet for some time. Despite his silence, however, his eyes were narrowed and he paid attention to everything they were saying. Compared to his attitude after he and Jae-ha had been attacked, he seemed like a completely different person.

"I heard something at the club," Hak said, causing Jae-ha to tear his gaze away from Kija. "Apparently, there's a heavenly weapon seller who operates in this city. His name is Hiyou."

"Never heard of him," Jae-ha said.

"I hadn't either. The few people who talked about him said he's rather shady, doesn't make deals out in the open very often."

"Shady, you say?" Jae-ha pondered. The guy seemed like a good lead to start with, and even if he turned out to be innocent, sellers tended to know the whereabouts of a lot of heavenly weapons. If there was another place where demons could get them in large quantity, he would probably know. "Did you happen to hear where we can find this Hiyou?"

Hak handed him a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it. Jae-ha examined it, not surprised to find that it referred to a place in the slums.

"We don't know if he is the one we're looking for, but we should still be careful about approaching him," Soo-Won said. "It would be better to observe him first, see if we can find out anything without revealing ourselves."

It was a reasonable idea, so they all agreed. Predictably, Hak was the first to offer to follow Hiyou, but Jae-ha cut him off before he could even finish talking.

"Don't get me wrong, but you look exhausted, Hak."

"I can go," Yona said. The effect was immediate; Soo-Won tightened his hold around her and Hak frowned, dismissing the idea of her going without him, both of them ignoring her protests. Jae-ha smiled at their overprotectiveness.

"I'll go," he said.

"Me too," Kija added, causing everyone to turn to him, but he was staring directly at Jae-ha.

Even though Kija's voice betrayed nothing, Jae-ha could see the plea in his eyes, a reflection of his desperation the previous night. He didn't have to think twice before he agreed. It would be the best chance for Kija to prove to the others he was serious about being on their side - Jae-ha couldn't say he still had doubts, but he wouldn't be able to explain his reasoning without exposing Kija's secrets.

After reassuring Hak and Yona about his decision, Jae-ha told them they'd leave as soon as he and Kija were ready. Now that Soo-Won was awake and they had nothing to do but wait for Jae-ha and Kija to come back, Yona insisted Soo-Won, Hak and she would return to her and Hak's apartment downtown, having already abused of Jae-ha's hospitality. They would still be safe from any attacks there, since they'd never met at their own places before, making it unlikely for any enemies to know the location.

"I could never complain about having so many beautiful people in my house, Yona dear," Jae-ha said, making her laugh, but it was impossible to change her mind.

A couple of hours later, with the others already gone, Jae-ha and Kija left the building, this time on foot instead of flying since the sun was high in the sky. Before they went to the designated address, however, Kija insisted on dropping by his place to get some of his own clothes. Though their bodies were similar, Kija was shorter, and he'd had to roll up both the sleeves of his shirt and the jeans he'd borrowed for them to fit. No matter how many times Jae-ha joked that he looked adorable, it only seemed to make him angry and more determined to get changed.

Jae-ha was amazed at how at ease he felt with Kija now, despite the fact that he'd tried to kill him not even two days ago. It was like a weight had been lifted off the demon's shoulders during their conversation that night, and while sometimes he still got that dark look on his face, he mostly seemed enthusiastic about their mission.

To Jae-ha's surprise, Kija lived only a few blocks away from him. His apartment was almost bare except for a few personal belongings, but everything was neatly organized. It was common for immortal beings such as themselves to have extravagant homes, since so many years on Earth often allowed them to earn enough money to live comfortably - Jae-ha admitted that he had spared no expense when choosing his own apartment - but this small place suited Kija.

They didn't stay for long; as soon as Kija was ready, they called a cab to take them to the most dangerous side of town. The further away they got from the richest neighborhoods, the more apparent the changes in scenario became. The abandoned buildings increased in number, just like the amount of litter on the streets, and the few businesses that had their doors open were nothing more than shabby, suspicious looking places.

"Such a lovely place," Jae-ha mused out loud as soon as they got out of the cab.

"If this is where he makes his deals, it's no wonder people say he's shady," Kija said. "Should we use the buildings to get closer? There's no one around."

Jae-ha agreed, checking again for any onlookers before opening his wings. Next to him, Kija took on his demon form, getting ready to climb the walls of the nearest construction. They made their way towards Hiyou's meeting place, switching from walking on the rooftops to sneaking through the abandoned buildings, always keeping an eye out for any strange movement.

Finally, they reached the address written in the note Hak had given them. It was a street like all the others, except for the man sitting in front of an old hotel. Jae-ha sucked in a breath when they got close enough to take a look at his face; he was most likely Hiyou, since Jae-ha could see the man was stunning like every other fallen angel, but his beauty was marred by a huge scar on his forehead.

"How can he have that?" Kija whispered, looking as taken aback as Jae-ha. "Even wounds made by our claws leave no marks after they heal."

Jae-ha gritted his teeth, sweeping his gaze once again over the other buildings. They were hidden in the abandoned second floor of one of them, where a window allowed them to look outside without being seen, but that man had left Jae-ha feeling restless.

"The only way to have a scar," he explained, "is if it was done before you were cast down. It's a punishment from Heaven." He sighed. "This guy isn't good news."

For a few minutes, nothing happened, but suddenly Kija gripped Jae-ha's arm, motioning to the corner of the street. A young boy, apparently human, was walking towards the man, something held tightly in his hand. He approached Hiyou, saying a few words and handing him a piece of paper before running away.

Hiyou looked at the paper for a brief moment before tearing it to pieces and scattering them in the wind. Then, he got up, looking around with narrowed eyes. Both Jae-ha and Kija held their breath, but the fallen angel didn't notice them, disappearing inside the hotel.

"There was something in that paper. We have to find out what it is," Kija said. He was about to jump out the window when Jae-ha stopped him, hissing " _Wait!_ " and pointing to the higher floors of the surrounding buildings. Though they'd go unnoticed for anyone who wasn't paying attention, several figures were making their way through the construction towards the street that faced the back of the hotel.

"He's going somewhere," Jae-ha whispered. He looked at Kija, a warning clear on his voice when he said, "We have to be careful. We don't want to have to fight those guys."

Kija nodded. As soon as they made it to the other street, they saw Hiyou turning the next corner, having left through the back door of the hotel. Keeping as much distance as they could, Jae-ha and Kija followed him through the slums, until the fallen angel stopped in front of a closed warehouse. He kept looking impatiently at his watch; not long after, however, three demons came out of the shadows cast by nearby buildings, fully transformed even though it was broad daylight.

"It's them," Kija hissed, his voice trembling as his eyes turned red. "Let's kill them."

"Shh," Jae-ha shushed, grabbing hold of Kija's hand before he could do anything stupid. "We are _just observing_."

A few feet away from them, Hiyou frowned, looking with distate at his newest companions.

"Does Kumji tell you to do this on purpose? He knows I hate to be kept waiting."

"Where are the weapons?" the tallest demon asked, ignoring the other's rhetoric question and flexing his claws.

Hiyou extended his hands and with a flash two identical swords appeared, both blades shining with the gold color of heavenly steel. One of the demons stepped forward, holding out a box in which the swords were placed.

"I heard some of you were killed and the weapons stolen yesterday," Hiyou said, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. "Tsk. That's troublesome. I will let it go this time, but the next I won't be so kind." In a second, he was close to the demon holding the box, the blade of one of the swords held extremely close to his neck. "I do not wish anyone to trace them back to me."

The other men started to advance towards him, but before they could do anything Hiyou had stepped away, putting the sword back in its place.

"Tell Kumji I expect better payment the next time he wants an order on such short notice," Hiyou said, already turning his back to the demons and going back the way he'd come.

In the place they were hidden, Jae-ha was struggling to keep Kija from attacking. Only after both Hiyou and his clients had been gone for a few minutes did Kija relax and Jae-ha felt it was safe to release his hold on him. Both of them were breathing hard as they stared at the place the transaction had taken place, the danger of the situation finally made real by what they'd witnessed.

"Let's go back," Jae-ha said, "And tell the others we found our man."

* * *

As soon as they got back to Jae-ha's apartment, he called Hak to share the information they'd gotten. In a way, there were lucky that their first clue had proven to be useful, but now they could see that their enemies were more than just random demons they could easily confront. From what Hiyou said, this Kumji man was the one responsible for arming them with heavenly weapons, so it seemed reasonable to believe that he could be the also giving out the orders for the attacks.

"We need to find out more about Kumji," Hak said. In the background, Jae-ha could hear Soo-Won and Yona's voices, though he couldn't distinguish what they were saying. "Right now, our best source of information is Hiyou. You've proved that he can be followed, so we should use that to try to find out where Kumji is hiding."

"The meetings don't seem to be planned, so there's no way to know when he'll meet Kumji's men. We'll have to tail him all day long," Jae-ha said. It was more of a statement than a complaint; it would be hard, but they could all take turns, and once Soo-Won was fully recovered he could help as well.

The rest of the conversation with Hak consisted of a discussion of how they should proceed, since he intended to continue following Hiyou the next day already. As soon as Jae-ha hung up, Kija asked him from his place on the couch, "Well?"

"We'll gather more info on Kumji until we find his hideout. Hak and Yona offered to follow Hiyou tomorrow morning, and we'll take their place later."

Kija assented, and an awkward silence settled over them. Now that the action was over, Jae-ha became aware of how strangely their relationship had progressed. He had no idea what to do next; Kija wasn't his prisoner anymore, but it felt wrong to think of him as just a friend, especially because their make-out session from two days ago was still fresh on his mind.

"I should, ahn, go home," Kija said, getting up and twisting his hands nervously. "We'll meet tomorrow then?"

It took a moment for Jae-ha to realize what Kija had said; it had slipped his mind that the demon would want to go back to his own apartment, even though that should've been obvious. He opened his mouth, hesitated, then said, "Sure. Should I call you when it's time for us to go?"

"I don't have a phone."

Jae-ha looked with disbelief at Kija, who just shrugged. "There was no need for one."

"I know we live forever, but this is the twenty-first century. _Who_ _doesn't own a cellphone_?"

Kija huffed, crossing his arms and refusing to answer. Jae-ha laughed at his attitude. He might make a habit out of teasing him, since _this_ kind of angry Kija was one he enjoyed seeing.

"I'll come by your place before we leave, then," Jae-ha said.

With that decided, Kija didn't take long to leave, saying an awkward goodbye before closing the door behind him. As soon as he was alone, Jae-ha pressed his forehead against the door, his eyes closing. He'd had so many lovers throughout the years he barely remembered the last time he'd been so clueless of how to react in such a situation, and it made him restless to be feeling like that because of Kija.

"Damn it."

* * *

During the following weeks, they maintained a heavy surveillance over Hiyou, taking note of everything about his meetings with Kumji's men - how often they happened, how the demons talked, what weapons were ordered the most. They were able to gather bits of useful information, but Kumji's hideout remained unknown. Even following Hiyou's clients proved to be fruitless, since the weapons were taken directly to the other demons' hands instead of brought to their leader.

While it was stressful for things to be moving so slowly, Jae-ha found himself enjoying the missions that allowed him to be close to Kija. They had created somewhat of a routine whenever it was their turn to follow Hiyou. It had started when, after a particularly tiring meeting that had forced them to hide in the same spot for over three hours, Jae-ha suggested they get something to eat. The same thing repeated itself the following nights - stalk Hiyou, then go out to get dinner or order something at Jae-ha's place. Sometimes, they lost track of time and Kija ended up sleeping on the couch, always blushing when Jae-ha half-joked about him being welcome to share his bed.

Nearly a month after their first meeting in the _Broken Wings_ , while they were walking around trying to decide on a place to go, Jae-ha suggested they go back to the club. He missed dancing, and the atmosphere in there could surely make them forget about the dangerous stuff, even if for just a few hours. Kija, however, didn't seem so keen on the idea.

"Have you forgotten what I am?" he asked, but Jae-ha laughed, shaking his head as he threw an arm around Kija, playing with a strand of his hair.

"No one will notice. You had me fooled the first time, after all," he winked, loving the way Kija stuttered before finding his voice again.

"I don't really enjoy crowded places."

"Just focus on my beautiful face and you won't even notice there're other people," Jae-ha said. As they'd become closer, it'd gotten easier to flirt with Kija, even if sometimes Jae-ha was more serious than he'd like to admit through his playful tone.

It took some convincing, but Kija finally agreed to go to the _Broken Wings_. They were lucky enough to arrive early, before the usual crowd had gathered outside - with a demon in tow, Jae-ha couldn't risk entering through the VIP line.

If Yona was surprised to see them there, she didn't mention it; handing them drinks, she just smiled before getting back to her other clients. Jae-ha was thankful, since he hadn't gone there to chat. He wanted to focus on making Kija have fun, which didn't seem to be happening if he judged by the other's expression.

Leaving his drink on the bar, he took hold of Kija's free hand and kissed it, mimicking how he'd done the first time they'd met.

"Do you want to dance?"

Kija smiled at the echo of his own words before nodding, putting his glass next to Jae-ha's and following him to the dance floor.

It was the same from their first dance together, but it was also completely different. There was no tension in Kija's body, nor hesitation on Jae-ha's part when he pulled him closer, yet they still moved in sync easily, enthralling those who watched them. Jae-ha had always loved dancing, but he thought he'd never enjoy it the same way if he didn't have Kija moving next to him.

They stayed like that for hours, through slow and fast songs. Jae-ha tickled Kija's neck with his lips, making the other let out a breathless laugh; in return, Kija wound his fingers through the hair on his nape and tightened his hold, causing Jae-ha to suppress a groan.

"You're killing me," he whispered in Kija's ear, not caring about how things were moving towards a path they had yet to discuss, even though it had been looming ahead of them for some time now.

Kija's answer was to pull Jae-ha's head towards him and press their lips together. The familiar need sparked inside Jae-ha, making him crush Kija's body against his, deepening the kiss until his breath was coming out in gasps.

"There's _no way_ we're going to that back alley this time," Kija said and Jae-ha laughed, already pulling him away from the dance floor in the direction of the exit.

"Don't worry, we won't."

As soon as they were in a deserted place, Jae-ha opened his wings and picked Kija up before taking off to the skies. His place had never seemed that far, but eventually they arrived on the balcony, tumbling inside with their mouths glued to each other.

Once they were settled on Jae-ha's bed, however, the desperation that had been consuming them vanished. Jae-ha took his time discovering Kija's skin, sucking at every new sensitive spot he found and making the demon whimper; Kija's hands wandered down Jae-ha's chest, short nails scraping lightly against his nipples, drawing a low moan from his throat.

"Kija," Jae-ha groaned when their lower bodies made contact.

"How do you want this?" Kija asked, his face flushed as he brought his hand down to brush against Jae-ha's cock.

"I want you inside me," Jae-ha gasped, pleasure flashing hot behind his eyelids as he pressed against Kija's touch. He blindly reached towards his nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out a bottle of lube.

One of Kija's hands reached to pull off the elastic that held Jae-ha's hair, letting the strands fall, shielding them both. His fingers found Jae-ha's entrance and the angel whimpered, need coiling in his gut as he trembled with the effort to stay still.

"Please," Jae-ha said, and then Kija was slowly stretching him, and it was too much but it was also not enough, and Jae-ha's thoughts stopped making sense as he could only focus on Kija's touch and the burn of his skin against his. The demon's eyes had turned red, and Jae-ha couldn't look away as Kija replaced his fingers with his cock.

They both moaned when he slid in, Jae-ha's wings unfolding as he lost control over his transformation. He froze for a moment, but before he could make them disappear again Kija grabbed hold of the feathers near his shoulder blades with enough force to make Jae-ha feel like he would come right then. Kija raised his upper body until Jae-ha was sitting on his lap, burying his face in his hair as he willed Jae-ha to move by the pull on his wings.

"Jae-ha," Kija groaned. Jae-ha tightened his hold on his shoulders, moving to capture his mouth in a kiss, and then he was lost; the world narrowed down to Kija's skin sliding against his, to the feel of his fingers as they moved through his feathers, to the sound of his voice when Jae-ha's name fell from his lips as his hips stilled, to the teeth that bit into his neck and made him scream as Jae-ha's release washed over him with a blinding force.

Jae-ha's wings disappeared and they fell back on the bed, their breaths coming out in short gasps as he raised his head to look at Kija. The demon smiled and Jae-ha's heart sped up again, the feelings he'd been fighting for the past month coming to the surface. He smiled back, threading his fingers through Kija's and kissing his knuckles one by one before settling their joined hands over his chest.

Later, they'd have to move in order to get cleaned up, but for now all Jae-ha wanted to do was stay in Kija's arms for a little longer.

* * *

When Jae-ha woke up to the sound of his ringtone, his arms were draped over Kija's waist. He tightened his hold, pulling the demon closer and ignoring the annoying sound until Kija started to stir, his hair brushing over Jae-ha's face as he turned his head back as far as he could.

"You should answer that," he said with a yawn, and Jae-ha cursed whoever was calling him at this hour and preventing him from having a nice morning in bed with his recently-turned-lover. He reached for his phone, pressing the call button before checking the caller ID.

"Time to wake up, lovebirds," Hak's voice sounded through the speakers. "Droopy Eyes, I sincerely hope you two are dressed and presentable within the next fifteen minutes, because we're dropping by."

Jae-ha didn't even have time to think up all the names he wanted to call Hak when his friend spoke again, his voice serious this time.

"Soo-Won has a plan to defeat Kumji."


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Hak, Yona and Soo-Won arrived, Jae-ha and Kija had put their clothes back on and were waiting for them in the living room. They hadn't had time to talk about the previous night, but decided it would be best to leave that for later - right now, there were more urgent matters to worry about. As soon as Hak entered the room, he threw Jae-ha a knowing look, which proved Yona had told him about what had happened at the club; even if he knew, however, he didn't mention anything about it when he began to speak.

"We've been following Hiyou for weeks," Hak said, "And we're not any closer to finding Kumji's hiding place then we were on the first day. We could keep following him for even longer, but as Soo-Won said and Yona and I agreed, we'll be wasting our time if we keep this up."

Jae-ha and Kija had to admit they were right. As much as they tried, the amount of information they'd been getting was limited, none of it enough to allow them to make a move against Kumji. Seeing that they were willing to listen, Soo-Won took a step forward, explaining what his plan consisted of. The more he talked, the more Jae-ha tensed, until finally he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"You mean you want to use Kija as bait!?" he exploded, his hands closing into fists on his lap. Next to him, Kija fidgeted, his eyes going from Jae-ha to Soo-Won, who seemed unfazed by this negative reaction.

"That's a harsh way to put it," he said, "But yes. If he gets purposefully captured while pretending to be one of Kumji's men, they might take him to their leader to ask instructions on what to do. It's the only option we haven't explored yet. We will be following Kija from a distance, so we can interfere if anything happens."

"This is not a plan, this is suicide," Jae-ha protested.

"I know it sounds crazy, and I wish we could think of another way, Jae-ha," Yona said. She bit her lips, her eyes pleading for him to understand. "But this is our best chance."

Before Jae-ha could speak again, Hak added, "What does Kija think? Since he would be the one at risk, we should hear it from him."

They all turned to the demon, who had been quiet until then. He didn't look at Jae-ha when he spoke, but his eyes burned with that same determination he'd showed when he'd first offered to help them on their mission. "I'll do it."

"What?" Jae-ha turned to him, but when their gazes met, Kija's face was serious. Jae-ha could tell from his stance that he had no intention of backing down. "You're all forgetting something. What if they just decide to kill him on the spot?"

"That's why I said we'd interfere if anything like that should happen," Soo-Won said. "We'll be prepared to attack at any sign of a problem."

Jae-ha looked around the room. He knew they'd all been frustrated with the lack of progress in their investigation, and knowing that Kumji's men were free to act while they stood still bothered him as well. However, he didn't like the idea of putting Kija's life on the line in order to get what they wanted.

"Jae-ha," Kija said, his voice low as he reached to take his hands in his. Ignoring the others, he ran his thumb over the back of Jae-ha's hand, bringing his forehead to rest against the angel's. "I want to do this. If it'll help us end this thing, I want to do it."

Jae-ha closed his eyes and sighed, knowing he was fighting a lost battle.

"Fine," he agreed. He turned to look at Soo-Won, reluctance clear in his voice when he said, "What's the rest of your plan?"

Even while Soo-Won explained the last details and they discussed how things would go, Jae-ha refused to let go of Kija's hand. He could feel the other tightening his hold every now and then, a silent message that assured him everything would be fine. Jae-ha wished he could believe that so easily.

By the time every part of their plan was settled and Hak, Soo-Won and Yona left, it was already dark. Without a word, Jae-ha got up and opened the doors to the balcony, feeling the cold air hit him as he stepped outside. He leaned his arms on the railing, hearing more than seeing as Kija came up to stand beside him. 

"So many things could go wrong," Jae-ha said, unable to hide the worry in his voice.

"I know. But it could work, and we'll have a chance to get rid of Kumji." Kija paused, hanging his head forward so the strands of hair covered his face. "I'm willing to bet my life on a chance like that."

Jae-ha lost his patience then, pulling Kija's arm so he could look at him.

"Well, have you ever thought that maybe  _ I'm _ not?" he hissed. There were too many conflicting feelings inside of him - happiness from the way his relationship with Kija had changed over the night; anger at him for risking his life without a second thought, fear of losing him when they finally put the plan in motion the following day.

Kija stared at Jae-ha with wide eyes. "Jae-ha, what's going on?"

Jae-ha let out a short laugh, putting his arms around Kija and holding him close, nuzzling his hair. "You're so clueless, even now," he said. "Do you think last night meant nothing to me?"

He could feel Kija's body tense and then relax, his hands fisting around Jae-ha's shirt as he leaned back far enough to look at him. His eyes searched Jae-ha's face, reflecting the same turmoil that plagued the other's mind.

"I don't want to lose you," Jae-ha admitted. Kija's lips parted in surprise and Jae-ha took the opportunity to capture them in a kiss. It was short and sweet, unlike the ones they'd shared the previous night; it held the words they had yet to share at a more appropriate time.

"You won't lose me," Kija said when they separated.

Jae-ha smiled, doing his best to believe his words and leave his own worries aside. "Will you stay again tonight?" he asked.

Kija didn't hesitate before nodding. "I have to go get some clothes at my place, though."

"I'll have dinner ready when you get back."

It was Kija's turn to smile then. He gave Jae-ha one last kiss before allowing his demon form to show, leaping from the balcony to the nearest rooftop. Jae-ha watched as he disappeared against the darkness, thinking about how he'd once told Yona he only helped people experience love. Maybe that had been a lie; he couldn't claim the warm feeling on his chest was something he'd ever known before.

Once Kija was completely out of view, Jae-ha went back inside. However, he had barely stepped into the living room when his phone rang,  _ Unknown Number  _ flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" Jae-ha picked up, expecting it to be someone calling by mistake. The voice on the other end, however, was one he knew, and Jae-ha's eyes widened as he listened to what they had to say.

* * *

 

The slums were a place where its inhabitants preferred to stay in the darkness, so the dirty streets were empty as Kija walked through them at the crack of dawn. To the unsuspecting eye, he was alone; every once a while, however, someone paying close attention might notice the shadows that moved inside the buildings, silently watching as they followed Kija's movements.

To say Jae-ha was nervous would be an understatement. He was used to battles, but this was nothing compared to being in the middle of the action, where the only thing he had to worry about was to kill his enemy before  _ he _ killed him. His muscles were tense as he jumped from one construction to another, his eyes alert to any presence other than that of his own companions.

It took a while, but eventually Kija found a boy no older than fifteen hiding among the shadows of an alley. With a few words and some money, he handed a piece of paper to the kid, who took off running immediately in the direction Kija pointed. Now, it was a matter of time before Hiyou got their message about a requested meeting.

They had chosen the warehouse Jae-ha and Kija had followed him to the first time for several reasons. It was the most common place used by Kumji's men, so it wouldn't be enough to set off any suspicions that might keep Hiyou from appearing, and even though the wide space surrounding it made it difficult for them to find a place to hide, the same could be said about the guards that always accompanied the weapons seller.

As he waited, Kija took on his demon form, letting his nails turn into claws and his eyes turn red. Jae-ha tensed as he heard footsteps approaching the place he was hidden; soon, Hiyou came into view, a sneer on his face as he eyed Kija up and down.

"You're on time," the angel said, "Kumji is finally learning some manners."

"You're quite pretty," he continued, stopping a few feet away from Kija. The demon still hadn't moved, his face set in stone as he refused to break Hiyou's defying gaze. "A bit different from most of Kumji's men. He usually sends the brutes."

"I'm not like most of his men," Kija answered. "The ones you've dealt with so far are nothing more than his disposable puppets. Weak."

"Oh, you've got spirit," Hiyou laughed. "What does Kumji want this time, then, that the weaklings can't handle?"

Kija extended another piece of paper. This was the critical point of the plain, because they'd forged the note to be slightly different from Kumji's usual methods. It was not enough to be seen as an obvious trap, its only purpose to alert Hiyou to the fact that Kija was an impostor. Knowing what came next, Jae-ha felt his legs twitch with the effort to stay still when all he wanted to do was grab Kija and run away from there.

"I see," Hiyou said, running his eyes over the note. He then crushed it in his palm, his features twisting into anger as he screamed, "You and your friends' pathetic attempt at fooling me is sickening. Men!"

In a second, the doors to the warehouse burst open and several guards ran out, grabbing hold of Kija. At the same moment, however, Jae-ha felt hands taking hold of him, forcefully pulling him from his hiding place. He struggled, twisting enough to get rid of their hold, kicking the nearest man in the face before more of them appeared. Jae-ha was skilled, but not even he could win against such a great number of opponents. He was full of bruises by the time he was brought to where Hiyou waited and forced to his knees, the same being done with Hak and Yona. Jae-ha could see the desperation in Kija's eyes as he fought against his captors, but one of them summoned a heavenly dagger, holding the blade close to his throat.

"I'd stay quiet if I were you, demon," Hiyou warned. "Or your companions will pay the price." He motioned for his guards to pull them all up, giving his back to them as he walked towards a different street from the one he'd come. "I hate people who treat me like an idiot. I'd have you all killed, but Kumji's already given me a large sum not to do it, so I'll have to let it slide for now. You wanted to find out where he's hiding? Well, congratulations. You'll be meeting him soon."

Even though he could barely move his head, Jae-ha's eyes scanned the area, but Soo-Won was nowhere to be found. He, Hak, Yona and Kija were forced to walk along with Hiyou's men as they moved further away from the warehouse, deeper into the poorest part of the city. Finally, they were led into an abandoned building and down steep stairs that looked like they could crumble at any moment, arriving at what once used to be the place's underground garage.

The space had been altered to serve as something like a base of operations; long tables where demons worked making the handles that allowed them to hold the heavenly weapons were lined up on the right side, while a training area had been cleared at the back. Maps covered the walls, some of them with huge Xs drawn in red. As soon as Hiyou arrived, the demons that swarmed the place turned their heads towards him and angry whispers filled the air. Ignoring them, the weapons seller marched towards a room that had been created on the left side of the garage, its concrete walls making it look like a bunker.

Before Hiyou could knock, the door opened to reveal a large man, his rough features twisted with scorn as he looked at the group, motioning for some of his own men to take the place of Hiyou's in holding them captive.

"They're all yours, Kumji," Hiyou said, leaving without another word.

"Well now, what do we have here? Aren't you a demon?" Kumji said, pulling Kija's head back so he could take a look at his face. Jae-ha struggled against his captors, hating to see that man touching Kija with his filthy hands. Kumji turned to him, understanding dawning on him. "Oh, I see." He let go of Kija. "You're an interesting bunch, thinking you could trick me. I wonder what you planned to do when you got here, though. Were you going to take on all my men on your own?" Kumji laughed. "Well, but it seems not _ all  _ of you are idiots, at least."

"What are you talking about?" Yona asked. Her voice was a pitch higher than usual, but her eyes burned with hatred when she stared at Kumji. When he got closer, reaching his hand towards her hair, she spit on his face, and he backed away a few steps.

"You little..." he slapped her, and this time it was Hak that had to be restrained. "I have a nice surprise for you, girl. Bring them inside," he said to his men, entering the room as they followed.

Jae-ha heard Hak's sharp intake of breath and Yona's cry ahead of him. When they moved and his vision of the place cleared, he saw that, on the corner of the room, stood Soo-Won, his arms crossed as he observed them being carried inside.

"Soo-Won?" Yona's voice was barely audible as she stared at him, but his eyes were cold when he looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Soo-Won, explain this," Hak growled.

"I thought it would be obvious," Kumji laughed, obviously enjoying the situation. "Your dear boyfriend here - should I say ex-boyfriend? - told me  _ all _ about your little plan."

"What?" Yona asked in disbelief. Both she and Hak waited for Soo-Won to deny Kumji's words, but when he stepped forward, his face had the same expressionless mask as before.

"Do you remember how I said the villagers don't give out their location easily?" he said. "All these years pretending to be your boyfriend were difficult, but it was necessary. In order for me to have the slightest chance at contacting them, they had to be convinced that I wasn't a foe, and what better way to do that than to be in a relationship with other fallen angels?"

Yona seemed to crumble with every word that left Soo-Won's mouth, tears streaming freely down her face. Next to her, Hak's entire body shook with barely contained anger, and Jae-ha was shocked to see that even Kija was growling, struggling to reach Soo-Won with his claws. Jae-ha gritted his teeth, his eyes going from Kumji to his men, trying to think of the best way to break free.

"Even when I found out the location, I still had a problem. I couldn't take them out on my own. They might be a small village, but it's well protected against even the strongest enemies." Soo-Won looked at Kumji, who couldn't keep his eyes off the despairing group in front of him. "With his men, we can beat their forces."

"Why wait?" Hak asked. "We found out about Kumji weeks ago. Why wait until now?"

This time, Kumji was the one to answer, his expression turning into one of disgust, "Those vermin think they can rebel against the natural ways of the world without consequences. They are proud of their secrecy, their defenses. How fun would it be if they found out they were the ones responsible for letting the enemy into their homes?" Kumji laughed. "If, say, they were preparing to welcome a demon and his angel companions, happy to lower their security waiting for them to arrive, only to be crushed like insects by my army?"

"Kumji." Soo-Won interrupted. "Our deal."

"Right, go ahead. This will be fun to see."

Kumji took a step back, allowing Soo-Won to move until he was in front of Hak.

"Bastard," Hak hissed as Soo-Won's eyes turned red.

"I only did what I had to do," he said, preparing to slash Hak's neck.

The next moment, they heard a commotion outside the door, the sound of screams and fighting reaching their ears. Soo-Won's claws cut through the air and Yona screamed, but instead of Hak, it was the man who had been holding him that fell to the floor, his head rolling away from his body. Jae-ha, taking advantage of the distraction, kicked his captor in the knees, turning around and summoning his dagger to pierce it through his heart as he dodged another guard's claws.

Chaos erupted in the room. Jae-ha had no time to see how Hak and Yona were doing; his eyes were on Kija, who had just finished killing his own guards and had turned towards Soo-Won, his teeth bared as he went to attack.

"Kija!" Jae-ha screamed, slashing at anyone who came close to him with his dagger as he ran to grab the demon's arm before he could strike. "Kija, don't."

Kija turned to him, and Jae-ha hated the look of betrayal that ran across his features. "Trust me," he pleaded, hoping Kija would listen.

In a sudden movement, Kija turned around and Jae-ha saw his claws flash next to his face. He waited for the pain, but there was only a thump as the man who had been about to attack him from behind fell down. He stared dumbfounded at Kija, who nodded, and Jae-ha smiled even as he twisted to finish the man off with his weapon.

By the time all the guards were dead, Kumji was on his knees, being held down by Soo-Won as Yona held a golden knife to his throat.

"Traitor," Kumji growled at the demon above him, but before he could say anything else his body crumbled, Yona's knife stuck deeply in his throat.

For a moment, they all stood in silence. Jae-ha could see Hak, Yona and Kija's confused faces, but the noise coming from outside reminded him that there was no time to waste.

"We'll explain later," he said, bursting out of the room into the garage.

The place had become a battlefield. Fallen angels hovered above, shooting arrows made of heavenly steel at Kumji's men. Others were on the ground, fighting with swords and daggers, and then there were the demons - not the ones they had seen when they'd arrived, but demons wearing armors such as those that only existed in movies nowadays, fighting off the heavenly weapons wielded by the enemies of their own kind.

Jae-ha's group joined the fight, though as soon as news of Kumji's death spread through the chaos, the few resisting demons left were easy to defeat. Soon, silence settled over the place, and Jae-ha could finally stop to look around at the scene that surrounded him.

Both the armored demons and the fallen angels grouped in the middle of the room, two figures detaching themselves from them to walk towards where Jae-ha stood with Kija, Hak, Yona and Soo-Won. One of them was an angel, his wings spreading wide behind him, their blackness a stark contrast against his white skin and blue hair. Next to him, there was a small demon. He took off his helmet, releasing a mane of yellow hair, a bright smile on his face as he approached them.

"Hello," he said, his eyes falling on Jae-ha and Soo-Won. "You were the ones that went to us last night, right? Zeno wasn't there, so he didn't get a chance to see you. Nice to meet you all!” Zeno shook their hands one by one. “This is Shin-ah." He pointed to the fallen angel, who simply nodded.

Jae-ha could feel Hak, Yona and Kija's astonished stares on the back of his head as he said, “Nice to meet you, Zeno. I’m Jae-ha.”

“I’m Soo-Won,” the demon introduced himself, pointing to the rest of them and announcing their names.

“What is going on?” Kija asked.

“It was all part of the plan,” Jae-ha said.

“What? If it was part of the plan, then _ why didn’t we know anything about it _ ?”

“Because Kumji had to fall for it,” Soo-Won explained. “Your reactions to my supposed betrayal had to be convincing, or he would’ve realized I was lying. Especially  _ your  _ reactions.” His eyes fell on Hak and Yona as he took a step towards them. “I’m sorry.”

Yona shook her head, unable to speak as she threw herself into Soo-Won’s arms. He held her tightly, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at Hak.

“Bastard,” Hak said, but this time there was affection on his voice as he ran his fingers through Soo-Won’s hair and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You always want to do things on your own.”

Soo-Won laughed. Jae-ha had been distracted watching them, but Kija turned his attention to him by grabbing his arm.

“How did you know?”

“That would be because of us,” Zeno piped in. Jae-ha was startled; they’d been so quiet watching that he’d almost forgotten about him and Shin-ah. “You see, we can’t let just anyone go to our village. Soo-Won had contacted us, but if he’d come alone, we might still have thought he was lying. But he brought his friend along, so when they both explained things we decided to help!”

“We have to thank y-” Jae-ha began, but Kija interrupted him.

“Wait, when exactly did you go? He said last night, right?”

Jae-ha swallowed, carefully avoiding Kija’s eyes.

“Well, you have a deep sleep. And I was back before you woke up.”

“You…” Kija was speechless. Jae-ha pulled him into a hug, ruffling his hair even as Kija struggled. “Let me go, you…”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Jae-ha said. He felt lighter now that things were finally over and he could feel Kija safe in his arms again. Even knowing about Soo-Won’s true plan, he’d almost panicked several times, afraid Kumji would figure things out or the villagers’ help wouldn’t arrive.

Kija humphed but relaxed against Jae-ha’s hold, his voice muffled by the angel’s shirt when he spoke. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“You guys are so adorable!” Zeno exclaimed, making Kija blush.

“Thank you, Zeno, Shin-ah” Soo-Won said, untangling himself from Hak and Yona.

“No need to thank us!” Zeno said. He was practically bouncing on his feet. “Our village is a safe place for people like you.”

“You’ll be… welcome… if you want to come live with us.” Shin-ah spoke for the first time, and Zeno nodded.

“There’s always room for more people!”

Jae-ha felt Kija’s hold on him tighten. When he looked down, he saw he was staring wistfully past Zeno and Shin-ah, at where the rest of the villagers were gathered. It was probably a reminder of his own village, and Jae-ha wondered if he longed for a place like that again.

“Well, Zeno has to leave now. You know how to contact us if you decide to come,” Zeno waved goodbye, and he and Shin-ah went back to the rest of their group.

“Soo-Won,” Yona asked as soon as they left the building, the morning sun a blessing after such a long time underground. “How did you convince Kumji you were on his side?”

“I said I’d tell him the location of the village.”

“What? You told him?”

“I convinced him I’d tell him when I’d gotten their defenses down. Otherwise, word might spread that an attack was being planned and they could move to a different place.” Soo-Won looked towards the sky, raising his hand to shield his eyes against the sunlight. “Of course, I never planned to  _ actually _ tell him.”

Exhausted from the battle, and now that everything had been cleared up, Jae-ha and Kija left to Jae-ha’s apartment, while Hak, Yona and Soo-Won went home as well. They were all relieved that things had been solved; Jae-ha felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. One thing that remained in his mind, however, was Zeno and Shin-ah’s offer, and the look on Kija’s face as he stared at the villagers.

Later, he came out of the shower only to find that Kija wasn’t in the bedroom where he’d left him. Searching through the apartment, eventually Jae-ha found him on the balcony, his eyes closed against the soft breeze.

Jae-ha put his arms around Kija’s waist, pulling him against his chest and pushing his hair to the side to plant a kiss on his neck. 

“What do we do now?” he asked.

“What do you want to do?”

Jae-ha looked ahead, thinking of how he’d lived his life until now. There were things that were part of him, and those couldn’t be changed. However, now that Kija was by his side, there were other, more important things to consider.

“I don’t like staying in one place for long,” he said, measuring his words so Kija wouldn’t misunderstand. “But I don’t want to leave you.”

Kija stayed quiet, and Jae-ha thought he was angry at him until he finally spoke.

“I missed having a home.” He turned towards Jae-ha, raising his hand to his cheek. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll go with you.”

“Didn’t you just say… Don’t you want to go to the village?”

“It’d be nice, maybe, to stay there for a while. Have a place to come back to. But I said I  _ missed  _ having a home, Jae-ha. I don’t anymore, and I don’t need the village for that.” Kija place his lips upon Jae-ha’s, speaking against his mouth as he placed his hand over Jae-ha’s heart. “I have one right here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> If you want to be friends on [tumblr](http://itsclowreedsfault.tumblr.com/), feel free to message me!


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